Monsters Are Just Men like You and I
by Thisdudeintheback
Summary: Jaune Arc was moping about his girl troubles once again. Not entirely unusual for the boy as it was something to pass the time. But an encounter with a mysterious stranger left that as the least of his worries in the upcoming weeks. Before long, Jaune was going to become the very monster men had feared for centuries.
1. Der Vampir

**Note: Before anybody says anything. I took this story down because shit happened and I couldn't see any of the reviews. So, if you were following this story previously or had favourited, I would recommend you do that again please.**

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**Story uh... *Checks his notes* Number Five motherfuckas! **

**Now that I got that out of my system. I can begin describing what I have recently concocted in the span of two days. **

**My newest version of Jaune. Vampire-Jaune! To add onto: Guts-Jaune, Jaune of Rivia, Joel-Jaune, and Footballer-Jaune. **

**So yeah, Jaune is a vampire in this story. Not some bitch boy - Twilight looking - I will crack Edward's spine like a glow stick vampire. No ladies and gentlemen. We are cultured over here at Thisdudeintheback Publishing. We like our vampires to be actual vampires and not some stick in the mud boring teenagers. **

**This fic is going to be Jaunecentric once again, but we will bounce from character to character. I decided to pull themes from Tokyo Ghoul, A Certain Magical Index, Hellsing, Castlevania, and a few other animes I've watched in the past. **

**The story is going to be set in a real life AU, in the US. Not Remnant because I wanted to draw themes from the animes listed above, and it wouldn't work if I didn't do that because Remnant lacks certain organisations that our good ol' planet has. **

**But how I've framed this story is that Jaune is going to be forced to adapt to becoming a vampire, and dealing with people coming after him because of that. So this fic is sort of a slice of life anime in some aspects due to the romance elements, but Jaune is going to be running around in the background fighting people and his thirst for blood. **

**I don't really have words to describe this, honestly. The closest thing I can compare it to would be Strike the Blood because this is also going to be a harem fic. **

**Oh yeah, this is harem fic. And that's not a good thing either. Anime-style harems are horrific sometimes if you're the dude. See Infinite Stratos or Monster Musume for more details. *shudders at the thought* **

**Now this begins the rise of the anti-hero for this story, since Jaune kills people or will once he becomes a fully fledged vampire. **

**Also, this first part is just an overview of Jaune. You can really just skip past that for when we go to Jaune's perspective. Most of this chapter is also context to show what happened to Jaune and what's beginning to happen to his body. **

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Jaune stood behind the counter, waiting for his shift to end. Nearly five and half hours into a six-hour-long stint left him bored out of his mind. No one had come in during the last half hour, but his manager needed him to wait around until she counted the cash from the day's pull.

The coffee shop where Jaune worked was a small place called Anteiku. It was a neighbourhood cafe located in the middle of Vale. Frequented, usually, by undergrads and high school students from various universities and academies who called the city their home.

Vale, California was at the forefront of technological development and was an economic powerhouse. Every university in the city boasted an impressive track record for the creation of new products. Students here were some of the country's best and brightest being fed to secondary schools from the dozens of academies around the metropolis.

Jaune Arc currently attended Beacon Academy. One of the foremost schools in the state. How he managed to get into said school was a bit of a mystery, but he went to school there every day and was passing his classes well enough to remain in the top ten per cent.

He wasn't popular by any means. Not as much as Pyrrha Nikos or Yang Xiao Long. Jaune had a few friends to call his own. Ruby Rose and Lie Ren were his two best friends. Nora Valkyrie came as a part of the package with Ren, so she could be lumped in there as well.

He still tried to be friendly with his fellow students. So far, that worked, and Jaune was on good terms with everyone. Almost everyone, since there were a few that tried to make his day a living hell.

[Jaune]

_Come on..._

Jaune looked up at the clock for almost the hundredth time today. Twenty-five minutes to go until he could head back home and study for a test tomorrow. Dr Oobleck was killing him with all of these exams so early in the year.

It was only the spring first semester, and the man had already covered nearly half of the textbook. Junior year was panning out to even more difficult as time went on. That didn't even begin to speak for any of his other classes, and the fact he had Ms Goodwitch breathing down his and everybody else's necks.

Luckily, work today was nowhere nearly as stressful.

Most of his time today was spent daydreaming. Girls, mainly. What else was really on the mind of a hormonal teenager? The object of his affection had shifted from girl to girl, not settling on a single person. Weiss Schnee was the first and his strongest. But that wasn't going so well nor did any of his others interests.

Why none of his attempts to ask girls out ever worked? That was an enigma in itself. No matter what he tried to do to get a girl to see him in a different light. It always ended up with the person in question shooting him down. Sometimes publicly, and other times privately. Regardless, it was still a humiliating thing to go through.

_Maybe I should give it up?_ It was probable that even if he got himself a real girlfriend, it wouldn't last. That was a big if, too, and it appeared to be more preferable to stop; or at the very least slow down before making another attempt at courting someone. Better to stave off the eventual heartbreak than to rush into it again.

Jaune's head fell into his right hand. The arm was propped up on the counter, letting him mope over his problems. Which were very insignificant compared to other people that he knew, and he very well knew that was a fact.

Suddenly a brunette appeared right in front of him. Two long rabbit ears jutting out from the top of her head. Her beautiful chocolate brown eyes peered up at him. A concerned expression painted on the girl's face.

"What's wrong, Love," Velvet asked, sitting across from him. Her accent made her sound all the more sophisticated. "Girls?"

Velvet Scarlatina, the girl right in front of him, worked as the manager at Anteiku. More like, she was the owner's daughter and was obligated to work there to save up for college. She, Jaune, and a few other students from Beacon all pulled the afternoon shift when school ended. Thusly, the two spent a lot of time together and were relatively good friends.

"Mmhmm," Jaune hummed in response before standing straight up. "Yep." He rubbed the back of his neck. "That obvious?"

"I would have said Cardin, otherwise," she continued, pouring herself some hot water and grabbing a tea bag. "But he wasn't bothering you today, so it kind of narrowed things down."

Cardin Winchester, otherwise known as Beacon's school bully. Someone who Velvet and Jaune both disliked. By disliked, they hated him with a firery passion. For some reason, Cardin enjoyed going after Jaune and Velvet more than anybody else.

"Did he give you any trouble today," Jaune asked, his voice becoming serious. It angered him to see someone like Velvet get bullied for no reason other than the accident of her birth. That girl was too pure to be deserving of this.

"No," she answered, taking a sip from her tea. "He found someone else to amuse himself with." Velvet let her head fall into her hands. "I can't understand why he hates the faunus so much! I haven't done anything to him, and he just picks on me! And when I talked to the school about it, Cardin got a slap on the wrist!"

Faunus students or any faunus really, getting bullied was a big problem in the US. Most of the time, they could get by without anything derogatory being said to them or being teased about their race. However, some were not nearly as fortunate and have been assualted in more extreme cases. And while certain regions of the US were more prone to being hotbeds for backward thinking individuals who couldn't live with the faunus, overall, things were improving between humans and faunus.

That didn't even begin to take into account issues of skin colour or ethnic origin. Comparing that to race relations between two different species was a different animal in of itself. One that looked awfully similar too.

Why Cardin had something against the faunus was a mystery. Humans hated each other for various reasons ever since our species arose from African apes. For faunus, it must have been something similar. There was a deeply ingrained hatred for the species coming from that boy. That was all Jaune knew for certain.

"His family is the biggest booster for Beacon," Jaune explained, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "I think Ms Goodwitch has her hands tied. Not that it's right, of course. I may be second to you for wanting Cardin getting tossed out of Beacon. But his family has almost all of the cards in their hands."

Money equalled power. The Winchester's had lots of it. Not as much as the Schnees, but enough to say cut off funding for the technology department if the school took significant action against the boy. Which, in turn, would cripple the school's plans for acquiring new lab equipment or computers. Necessary materials for their unique programs that would help children that were hoping to get into a STEM field. One phone call and all of that would be gone.

"You have a point," Velvet groaned. "Maybe I should hang out with Coco and Yastu during the day? He might leave me alone."

"But you would still be afraid of Cardin," Jaune emphasised, gesturing with his hands. "You're the nicest person I know! A-And, you don't deserve to be bullied!"

Velvet took a breath of air in. "You're a gem, Jaune," she complimented the boy. "Thanks for saying that."

"It's true," Jaune insisted, letting out a snort. "You didn't even know my name when you came to talk to me when was I feeling down after Weiss rejected me! And then when Cardin started screwing with me, you were there again! That makes me doubly sure that you're a nice person!"

"Thanks again," Velvet said, looking up at the clock. "But we should close up for the evening. It doesn't look like we'll be getting anybody else."

"Yeah..." Jaune started scrambling to put the last of the dishes that were still out away.

[Outside on the street]

Jaune waited just outside the door while Velvet locked it. Cars drove past them on the damp street. The night air remained crisp and slightly cold. Streetlamps lit the sidewalks as did a crescent moon. It was a lovely night if there ever was one.

He pulled at his Pumpkin Pete hoodie. The thick piece of cloth shielded him from a light wind blowing through. I can't wait for summer! It might be warm out for once! The thought ran through his mind as he shook his shoulders.

"There," Velvet uttered as she turned around. "It's locked up." She looked over to Jaune. "Do you need a ride home tonight?" Her usual offer when the two were closing up.

"Uhh, no," he answered. "My mom asked me to grab some stuff before heading home. It's a nice night out anyways, so I'll just walk. But thanks." Jaune threw Velvet a nod before turning around and heading down the street. He could hear his friend open and shut her car door.

In the distance, Jaune could see the brilliant skyline of Vale. Dozens of skyscrapers jutted out from the city. Each with their own distinct logos. One of which was the Schnee Electric Company logo. The others were a symbol that Jaune couldn't recognise outright.

Turning back to face the dark street in front of him, Jaune continued on his way to a local convenience store near his house. He pulled his phone out to check the text message that had been sent to him. His mother only asked for some milk, which was not the end of the world to have to walk home with. There were clearly worse things that could have been asked of him.

Jaune liked walking, anyways. It usually helped him clear his head after an incident with Cardin, or getting rejected by a girl, again. Good exercise too, especially after being cooped up playing video games for god knows how long during summer break. Ruby's dog, Zwei, seemed to get plenty of use out of him as well. No longer being the little butterball that he used to be.

A couple passed by Jaune as he continued heading towards his destination. The young male and female pair were a hybrid couple. One was a fox faunus holding onto her boyfriend's arm, laughing as he cracked a joke. It made Jaune feel jealous of how he didn't have something like that.

He just needed to remember Ruby's sage advice of how there were, 'Plenty of fish in the sea.' Which was true given there were seven billion people on this planet. Seven-billion seven-hundred-million, more accurately. Half of those being women also, taking into account the age range as well before things became truly horrific for his situation dropped that number by a significant margin.

Alas, Jaune was a lovesick puppy. To the outside observer, that might seem untrue or very self-evident. Especially considering how he managed to have a group of some of the most attractive girls to ever grace this world be his friends. Courtesy of Ruby's ability to somehow have her sister's friends be her friends, and summarily Jaune's friends. One of them being Weiss of whom Jaune was barely an acquaintance.

"Huughh," Jaune groaned, once again moping over the situation he got himself into. Nobody thought to help him with his girl problems before he crashed and burned, which was last week if memory served correctly.

He turned a corner to find another street. This one entirely deserted of people except for one person. A hooded figure standing about forty feet away from him. Standing in a rather intimidating fashion with their hands down their sides, and just standing there.

The person who Jaune suspected to be a woman now, wore an avant-garde outfit. It was not entirely unusual since this was Vale after all, and new ideas for fashion and technology ran amock. The woman in question was dressed in long black boots that transitioned to leggings. Going further, she wore what looked to be a skirt paired with a loose shirt and hood. On her arms, however, was a pair of arm-guards. Finally, she carried a sword on her side.

Yeah, this person was scary.

_I'm not going that way..._ Jaune continued walking, heading across the street. Anywhere to get away from the scary woman carrying a sword. _Now I regret not asking Velvet for a ride!_

"Maybe she's just a cosplayer," Jaune thought to himself, crossing the street. He looked back once to see that the woman was still there. She, thankfully, hadn't moved a muscle since Jaune first laid eyes on her. "Just a random, not dangerous at all cosplayer who was minding her own business."

On the other side of the street, Jaune continued on his journey, keeping an ever so watchful eye on the woman at the same time. He knew he was in a public area, and more importantly in a residential section of town. Kind of like an old main street you would see in a small city. Just not as depressing.

"Ok, keep it together," he said to himself, continuing his journey. Not wanting to give off any indication that something was off. Which there definitely was.

Jaune felt like he was being watched at the moment. The hairs on the back of his neck were tingling. He had already passed the woman some time ago. Looking back, she was still there, standing like a statue.

He let out a sigh of relief at having passed her by. Maybe she was just waiting for someone, and Jaune just so happened to run into her? It was the worst time for it too. The middle of the night on a deserted road! Lovely!

"Got two blocks to go," Jaune exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is why we don't play horror games, Jaune! Our imagination runs wild, and then we scare ourselves!"

Jaune looked back again to check on the woman.

_Shit_...

She was now on the side of the street where Jaune was. Almost thirty feet away from him. Her left hand resting atop the sword.

Nearly stumbling as he took his first step backwards, Jaune's blood ran cold. His usually colourful tone paled as a trickle of sweat came down his brow. He could feel this woman staring through his soul. If he could see her face, Jaune guessed she had some sort of hungry expression painted on it.

His first instinct was to run, no sprint in the other direction. Making a mad dash for the nearest store or anywhere he could deem as safe. Calling the cops or his parents didn't even come to mind as this woman basically teleported over to him from a hundred or so feet away.

_Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!_ Jaune kept repeating that to himself as he ran away, not even bothering to look behind him. He just kept his eyes forward. His legs carried him as fast as they could, yet he still pushed his limits, bolting down the street at a breakneck pace.

_Come on! Someplace has to be open!_

He turned his gaze to the other side o the street, looking for somewhere he could slip into. Finding nothing Jaune kept moving. He must have been close to the store he originally intended to go to. The streetlights overhead seemed to blur as he fled from his pursuer.

_Oh, fuck!_

One bad step led Jaune to stumble forward and fall on his face. The boy sliding a good few feet scraping up his hands and cheek. Not even wasting any time, Jaune climbed back to his feet and into a full sprint. Completely disregarding the pain he was in to get away from this woman.

He looked back once to see her walking at a slow pace, almost a hundred metres away. Jaune didn't want to test his luck any further and rounded another corner. The sidestreet he ended up on was just as deserted barring a street cat he ended up scaring away.

Jaune dipped into an alleyway, hiding behind a dumpster. He was sure that nobody could see him on the street. The woman was so far away; there was no way she could have known that he was here.

Pulling out his phone, Jaune began to dial for the police.

_I just need to get someone on the line, then I'll make a break for the store. Shit..._

He dropped his phone. The device hit the concrete with a small clatter, making Jaune cringe at the noise. He quickly scooped up his phone and returned to dialling the number.

_*Bottle Clinking*_

Jaune turned towards the sound. It may have been an animal knocking something over, but he was not trusting anything right now. His right hand clenched down on his phone with a vice grip as he took a step back from the dark alley.

The last thing Jaune saw was the floor as something hit him from behind. A sharp pain erupting from the back of his head.

[Alleyway: Unknown Time]

Jaune's vision was hazy. Blurred to the point of nothingness, only just being able to make out an image. Darkness all around him. The cold floor and wall behind pressing against his back.

He didn't know where he was.

A hand came from his side and grabbed his face. The palm place right over his mouth with fingers digging into Jaune's cheeks. It squeezed down painfully so, pressing his head against the wall.

What looked like a face or part of it moved into view. Jaune could only see the lower part of her expression. Everything above her nose was obscured by darkness.

He tried to fight back, but his limbs were frozen. Jaune couldn't muster up the strength to even struggle a bit. Paralysed in his own body as this woman stared at him.

She snorted.

"Welcome to the world, New Blood," the woman said, letting go of his face.

[Alleyway: Dawn]

Jaune snapped awake suddenly. The sound of an engine running brought him to consciousness. His breathing spiked as he had no idea where he was and how he got there. All he could see was the low sun coming over the horizon, and the alleyway he woke up in.

"W-Where am I," he stuttered, trying to push himself to his feet. The weight of his own body was too much for him to bare, and he just fell back down. He felt so weak and so heavy. Like someone tied a sack of bricks to every part of his legs and arms.

His head throbbed something awful like he had just been hit by a footballer running at full speed. Jaune's arms screamed in pain as portions of skin were missing, and dried blood ran down his arms. Pieces of rock and what looked to be glass permeated the wounds.

He tried pushing himself to his feet again. This time he got somewhere, managing to stand up on his feet. Both legs wobbled momentarily, but they kept stable. His body seemed to regain its strength, although slowly.

Jaune reached into his pocket for his phone, finding nothing in his jeans. He dug into his hoodie, hoping to find it there. Yet, there was nothing. The wallet he kept in his back pocket was missing as well.

_Got to get home..._

His mother and sisters would have been worried sick. Jaune didn't know how long he had been gone. He didn't know if it was Friday or two days from then. Everything felt off. His body didn't feel like itself anymore.

Standing up and walking out onto the side street, Jaune shielded his eyes from the light. Looking left then right, he figured out where he was exactly. A short walk to his home was all that mattered.

He turned back onto the main street. Nobody else seemed to be out here either. However, looking down the road, Jaune remembered something.

_I was running... From what?_

He couldn't put his finger on why he was running, but with the context clues provided. His missing wallet and cell phone. What felt like something had hit him. He must have been jumped or robbed and knocked out.

[Arc Home]

As he grew closer to his house, Jaune began to see more and more people. A few students here and there, but nobody he knew. They gave him a few looks as if he were a crazy person; however, none stopped him.

Finally reaching his home, he looked up at the large house. The brick and wood home was large. Larger than most of the other houses on the block. The cobblestone wall bordering the entire property was covered in vines. Several cars parked in the garage could be seen from the road.

_Here we go..._

Jaune pushed the front gate open, closing it behind him. He was sure his mother would have been home at this time; some of his sisters as well. They may not have gone to work or school yet. Especially with their brother and son unaccounted for.

Checking his pocket, he didn't have his house key on him anymore. It must have been stolen, or he dropped it after getting knocked out. So, he was left to knock on the door and face whatever his family was going to throw at him.

_*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*_

Jaune knocked on the door. He heard somebody yell from the other side of the door. A few footsteps approached before the doorknob turned and the hatch opened.

In front of him was his older sister, Blanche. The eighteen-year-old platinum blonde staring at her little brother with a stunned look on her face.

"Holy shit," Blanche mumbled, turning around. "MOM! Jaune's back!" She grabbed his arm, eliciting a pained hiss from the boy. "Get inside."

Blanche dragged the boy into the living room. There several more members of the Arc family appeared, with them, their mother. Claire Arc. The matriarch wrapping her son in a crushing bear hug. Tears on her face.

"Where were you," she demanded, angrily yet gladly. "You were gone all night long! We called your phone, and Velvet's but you weren't with her." She let go of Jaune, and he sat down across from her and his sisters.

"Yeah, Mom was up all night long worrying about you," Saphron, his oldest sister, said from behind him. "I had to stay here the whole night with her while we waited for you to come back!"

"I don't know," Jaune mumbled, nearly shouting; still trying to wrap his head around what happened. "I only woke up maybe an hour ago! I was in an alley propped up against the wall. My phone and wallet were gone!"

"You were robbed," Marron, one of his other older sisters, calmly concluded. The nineteen-year-old getting up off her chair and checking the back of Jaune's head. "He's got blood on him. And look at his hands!" She pulled Jaune's sleeves up, revealing the wounds from last night.

"I think that's what happened," Jaune agreed, gesturing with his hands. "I-I can't remember anything after I left work! Maybe I was running from someone?"

Jaune's mother got up off the couch. "That's it," she said. "We're taking you to the hospital and then the police station." Claire grabbed her car keys and jacket, before heading to the front door. "Come on..."

[Hospital Room]

Jaune sat at the edge of a hospital bed. One of his arms stuck out. A nurse picking rocks and debris from the wound. His mother sitting in a chair a few feet away from him. The woman watched him like a hawk.

The emergency room they were in belonged to the Vale Central Hospital, where Jaune's mother worked. Surprisingly, it was rather empty this morning, and they were fast-tracked inside to get Jaune looked at. It was a welcome change in scenery after the tense car ride to the hospital.

"So Mr Arc," a Doctor began. The old wolf-faunus jotting down something in his clipboard. "You do not remember anything from last night?"

"No," he answered weakly. "I remember leaving work, but everything after is a blur. I think I running from someone?" The only thing he could remember after last seeing Velvet was him running. There was nothing else to provide context for the memory or if his mind created it to fill in the gaps.

"I see," the doctor mumbled, leaning forward to get a better look at Jaune. He flicked on a small flashlight and shine it in Jaune's eyes. "You're pupils are dilated. Might have a concussion? But we'll run some tests after we get your arms cleaned up." He jotted something else down on his clipboard. "You did lose some blood. Not enough to need a transfusion thankfully. Your white blood cell count came back, high. That could be due to the abrasions on your arms, or from this head trauma." He poked at the back of Jaune's head. "Claire, someone did a number on your son. It's a classic sucker punch if I've ever seen one. Brass knuckles?"

"That's what I assumed," she agreed. "We just wanted to bring him here to get checked out."

"Good," the doctor said, standing up straight. "Jaune, we'll bandage these wounds, and your mother or sisters can help you change them later. They stopped bleeding, but what I am concerned about is your loss of consciousness. You were unconscious for several hours, so it seems. We'll run a toxicology test just to make sure no one gave you anything after you were knocked out."

"Ok," Jaune nervously agreed.

He never used recreational drugs. Like anything stronger than prescribed pain meds from getting his wisdom teeth removed. He was worried that one of his parents or sisters might have suspected something like that. But the doctor seemed to more concerned about someone drugging him.

_Hopefully, that wasn't the case..._

[Arc Household: Jaune's room]

"That was hell," Jaune mumbled, throwing open the door to his room. He dropped the small grocery bag he was carrying on the floor and shut the door behind him.

Walking to the other side of his room, Jaune flopped down on his bed. The soft mattress moulding itself around the body laying on top of it. It felt like the comfiest thing he laid down on in years. Better than the hospital bed or police station chair by miles.

Getting dragged around town by his mother nearly took them the entire day. Between getting diagnosed with a minor concussion after several hours of testing, then being grilled over the details of what happened last night by the police. Jaune was feeling rather exhausted.

He grabbed his alarm clock to check the time. Three in the afternoon. School was going to be getting out soon. Not that it really bothered Jaune, since he was given the next week off from both school and work. That call to Velvet explaining what had transpired was not very fun either, but she understood what happened.

Right now. Jaune couldn't really describe what he was feeling. Before, he may have been nervous since he was under a microscope with everyone nitpicking his actions. Where he may have been, or who was with? The cops seemed to enjoy those questions far more than the doctors. It didn't help that the guy who was probably mugged was about to have a panic attack because you were not treating him like a victim but as a suspect.

It was over. That's all that mattered.

_I need a shower..._ Jaune sat up, beginning to strip off his clothes. The same ones he wore last night and had yet to get out of. His hoodie was smelly and in dire need of a wash. So did he, but that Pumpkin Pete hoodie was one of a kind.

Dragging himself over to the shower, Jaune shed his jeans and then his boxers. He flicked on the light to reveal a reflection of him in the mirror. A slightly bruised version of himself.

Jaune was not a bodybuilder by any means, nor was he skinny. Having a decent layer of muscle on himself more akin to a dancer than a footballer or any other athlete. His chest had some bulk to it like his arms and abs, but no real definition despite his lack of body fat.

Reaching over to turn on the shower, Jaune felt the slowly rising temperature reach its peak. He hopped in once he was satisfied, feeling the warm water cascade down his body. It was a great feeling. One to offset how terrible Jaune's day began.

...

Jaune quickly dried himself off after making sure he was squeaky clean. His arms were uncovered revealing the large sections of road rash on his wrists and underarm. Looking much better after having been cleaned out and their owner was given some antibiotics. Neither seemed to be swelling, which was a good sign.

There were some clothes he laid out on top of the toilet for himself. A pair of shorts and a loose-fitting t-shirt for comfort. Throwing them on, Jaune felt like he was ready to sleep for the next week.

But something else felt off. It had been nagging him ever since he awoke this morning. Jaune swallowed or tried to not finding any saliva in his mouth. The distinct texture of sandpaper was everywhere. One thought came to his mind.

_Thirsty..._

Jaune reached over to the faucet and poured himself a glass of water. Downing the contents of the vessel, he began feeling much better. The sudden onset of thirst no longer plaguing his mind. Because that was just another thing to add onto his plate.

_I've got some time to kill._

Jaune looked out the window. It was still daylight outside. Not to mention four in the afternoon. So, sleep was not an option just yet. Maybe video games or something light? The doctor had given an order not to do anything too strenuous. Jaune didn't have the hubris to think he knew better than a man who spent probably more than a decade working on getting his degree. Thus, something light was on the menu for the next few hours.

Turning on his TV and XBOX, Jaune began to dig through his games. _Witcher 3, no. Skyrim, no. Black Ops? No._ Then looking down, he realised he was missing his controller. One of his sisters must have run off with it the previous night.

Jaune sighed heavily, turning around to go find his controller. The damned thing didn't walk off by itself, and he hadn't been home long enough to play video games in the last week. Just when he thought life was going to let up on him for once, it shits in his dinner.

He went to open the door to his room, but someone on the other side beat him to it. The heavy oak flung wide open, knocking Jaune to his feet. A short girl wearing a school uniform stood in front of him. Her eyes darting about before training on the boy.

"Jaune," Ruby shouted. "We heard about what happened! Are you ok?!" Nora and Ren stepped out from behind her.

"And what are you doing on the floor, silly," Nora asked. Her innocent voice betraying Jaune's confidence.

"I'm not ok," Jaune answered, looking up with a serious look on his face. "You hit me with the door!"

"Sorry," they both said at the same time.

While it didn't actually hurt. Having a concussion and then getting thrashed around did not do anything to help. Luckily his nose had not been broken. Jaune's boyish good looks were about the only thing going for him.

"Here." Ruby offered her hand to Jaune, hauling the boy up with all of her strength.

On his feet now, Jaune towered over his three friends. Ruby, the closest one, still holding his hand as he caught his balance. A strange smell filled his nose as he stood next to the girl.

"Are you sure you're alright," Ruby asked again, looking up at the boy. Two cute puppy dog eyes met his. Her adorable expression was comforting, given everything he had been through today.

But that smell was getting even stronger now. It was a sweet aroma. Something Jaune couldn't adequately describe. Whatever it was, he wanted more.

"Jaune, you're bleeding," Ren spoke up, pointing to the other boy's nose.

_What..._

He put a hand up to his nose. Pulling it back, there was a small red stain on the tips of his fingers. The trickle flowed past his upper lip and into his mouth.

"Uh, let me get a tissue real quick," Jaune said, dipping back into the bathroom. He didn't want to get any blood on the carpet. The tile could be cleaned off later.

Finding said tissue in the form of toilet paper, Jaune pressed it against his nose. The red liquid pooled quickly in the white paper, forcing him to find another. After a few sheets, he finally managed to get the flow to stop.

But what was going on with that smell? It seemed to come from everyone. Ruby was the worst of them.

_Why did she smell so sweet?_

* * *

**"_Every Monster Was a Man First._"**

**Edward Albee**

* * *

**So yeah... That was the first chapter. I wanted to keep it short so I didn't drag it out too long. The next few chapters will grow progressively longer before I hit the 6,000-8,000 word goal for each chapter. **

**So tell me if you liked it. Or if you have any ideas to make the story better in the coming chapters. Anything is welcome but complaining. I'm also not changing my decision about keeping this a harem fic. So deal with it. **


	2. A Minor Change

**I got this chapter finished finally! **

**It was only supposed to be done a few days ago. But dumbass here kept getting distracted. I even had to go so far as to throw my phone across the room so I could actually write. **

**So, unfortunately, no chapter for The Lengths We Must Go To this week. I'll try next week or whenever I have time. Working nine hour days every day except Saturday and Sunday is really getting in the way of my writing time. I only have maybe five hours of free time after work before I have to go to bed, and I end up using only three of those hours for actual writing. **

**You understand my struggle? **

**In other news, To Those Who Survived The Fall has been discontinued. Meaning, I dragged it out back with a twelve gauge and blew its fucking brains out. It was a combination of not being able to come up with anything to write and people's opinions toward the fic that brought me here. So, I may try one more time, or just give up on it all together and focus on stories I actually like writing. **

**Third times the charm right? Unless you're a millennial or a part of gen z. Then you try once, it doesn't work, have a panic attack, cry, and then never try again. **

**Otherwise known as the Millennial Motto. (I'm joking.) **

**But back to this story. There were a few things I wanted to cover. Introduce some of Jaune's friends, and actually get into Jaune being a vampire. I don't want to write three to four chapters worth of buildup for that. I, frankly, don't have the time or creativity to come up with four chapters worth of filler. **

**You catch my drift? Most of this chapter is really context surrounding what is going on with Jaune's body. Because we can't hop directly into the action without proper build up! **

**But I want you guys to tell me what the theme for this fic should be!**

**I'm thinking Vogel Im Kafig or God of War for You've Got To Use Silver.**

**High School of the Dead by LeeandLie for The Lengths We Must Go To.**

**Though Are Paths May Diverge by Mili for To Those Who Survived The Fall.**

**And finally, Hello Goodbye by Scenarioart for Beacon's Number One! Or Hikaru Nara by Goosehouse.**

**I don't have one that fits for Monsters Are Men Just Like You and I. I'm thinking, Unravel, Katharsis, Cometh The Hour by Shiro Sagisu, Incantation by Shiro Sagisu, or Ash Crow by Susumu Hirasawa.**

**If you have any recommendations for these fics. Please hit me up with a review or pm with the song name. No links because I can't see that shit. (I'm looking at you Great God Dagon and Gorgon The Vile.) **

**But! Now it's time for some more Vampire-Jaune! **

* * *

A loud ringing brought Jaune to consciousness. He looked to his left and found that his alarm clock was blaring into his ear. Grabbing the top of the device to silence it, he reached around back to switch it off. Silence followed afterwards for only a moment before another set of alarms went off.

Jaune rolled onto his back, blinking several times to clear up his hazy vision. It was still dark out, maybe five in the morning, but he could see clearly. The smooth white ceiling above him held a blueish shade. He could even make out the marks from when it had been painted for the first time.

A series of footsteps came from another room. They were light, not heavy like Jaune's and his dad's. Each step came from about twenty feet away, causing the floorboards beneath them to groan. Her feet shuffled momentarily before a sliding door opened up.

All around the rest of his house, Jaune could hear more and more people get up and move around. Then he could make out which noise came from where and even recognised who was making them. Smaller footsteps from one of his little sisters. Louder steps with distant strides from his mother. Every sound was crisp and clear to his ears.

Jaune shook his head, wiping his face with his right hand. He needed to get ready for school since returning there was going to be brutal today. Throwing the covers from his body, he sat up on his bed. Both feet pressed flat against the cold hardwood. A chill ran up his legs, eliciting the erection of goosebumps.

Reaching over to his nightstand, Jaune grabbed his phone. The device read five-thirty in the morning. Monday morning to be more specific. A text below the time was for some notes Jaune asked about. Any other notifications were miscellaneous and thus ignored.

A series of footsteps moved past Jaune's door. _Boot's clicking? No, heels on boots. Must be Marron then. She's the only one who wears those types of boots._

Ever since Jaune was assaulted and subsequently given a concussion, it felt like all of his senses were amplified to the nth degree. Everything was so clear. That was the only word he could give to describe it with. Jaune could hear someone out on the street perfectly while he was inside with closed windows. His sense of smell was so precise he could tell apart ingredients in foods or what perfume his friends were wearing at the time from across the room. Jaune could see things with such clarity that he was able to make out minute details from a distance whereas someone else had to examine the object closely.

This started happening a day or two after him being assaulted. Jaune had assumed the cause to be from the head injury. There was no prior experience to back this up. However, every concussion is different in its manifestations.

His mother took him back to the hospital yesterday to get him checked out before he went back to school. Jaune had told her of his symptoms and decided this was the best course of action. The doctors ran some more tests, determining that he was fine.

He wasn't going to argue with them. Jaune just wanted to get back to school with a cleaner bill of health than where he started. Any more time off, and he was going to be drowning in missing assignments, readings, and tests. None of which Jaune was looking forward to.

Pushing off the bed, Jaune walked over to his closet. Inside was what he considered a wardrobe. Hoodies, sweatpants, t-shirts, jeans, shorts, and a few pairs of his Beacon uniform. Nothing to complain about, really. Jaune was more or less practical in his choice of style. Not necessarily going for flair but for comfort.

Jaune snatched his uniform from the closet and laid it out on the bed. The Beacon Academy dress uniform consisted of dark slacks, a matching blazer with red trim, a blue vest, white shirt, and black tie. While not dull, it was not flashy either. Just an average suit one would wear at an academy like Beacon.

Taking one breath in, he turned around to go take a shower. There needed to be a place Jaune could start off his day.

...

Jaune slipped on his uniform with practised ease. Every part of the outfit came together as designed, hugging his form as it settled into place. No piece remained tight or uncomfortable, save his tie. The silky smooth cloth felt as though it were a second skin.

He faced a mirrored image of himself upon finishing. The outfit looked good and looked good on him. The latter Jaune insisted was a benefit to wearing the uniform. It was merely dressing up the human equivalent to a plank of wood. At least it didn't hang off him like a parachute.

A part of Jaune wanted to do a pose for himself, but he held back the childish instinct. Terrible pickup lines got him nowhere as did posturing. The thought brought back embarrassing memories of the past that he did not want to relive.

"Don't think about it, Jaune," he said to himself. _There's enough we have to deal with today..._

Swallowing, a familiar texture made itself known. Jaune tried to get some saliva to wet his mouth, but nothing came of it. His tongue felt as though it had been dipped into sand and laid out in the sun. The back of his throat was worse, coated with a light mucus that threatened to choke the boy if he were unable to swallow.

He reached for a glass laying on the counter and filled it with water. Once full, Jaune chugged the contents of the vessel in mere moments. The rush of water formed several bulges as it travelled down his oesophagus, one for each gulp. A slight trickle forming on the corner of his mouth from the liquid attempting to escape.

Jaune set the glass down after getting his fill. The thirst sated for the moment allowing him to swallow properly and clear his throat. Heavy breathing followed as his throat was no longer obstructed. A sigh followed as Jaune looked up to face himself.

These sudden bouts of thirstiness came from nowhere. When they arrived, Jaune was only fixated on relieving it. His body forced itself to abandon any other task in favour of it. Going far enough as to cause him to wake up in the middle of the night just to drink something. Even then, it may have taken many trips to the tap only to quench his thirst.

During the day, it was manageable enough to where Jaune could take a swig of water and be done with it. When night came, however, his desire for liquids came on stronger than ever.

_Ok, Jaune, let's just get to school. Try to ignore it._

He could get water during classes when necessary. The teachers would be understanding since Jaune was recently returning after being injured. None were hard asses anyway, so that made his situation a tad more bearable.

Turning around, Jaune left the bathroom, shutting the lights off behind him. He grabbed his bag that was laying in his computer chair and his water bottle. The small coil in the base of the vessel jingled as it jostled against the hard plastic.

It was almost six-thirty in the morning. He and Ruby had a half hour walk ahead of them before they managed to reach the school. The starting time of which was eight, but both chose to arrive early to work on homework. Something that Jaune was a little behind on.

Jaune wasn't really concerned about his grades at the moment. There was time for him to catch up. However, he needed to get started before it built up into a mountain. Then Jaune would be in for a world of hurt.

Coming down the stairs, Jaune stood off to the side as two of his younger sisters ran past him. The second bumping into his shoulder with a small, 'Sorry,' squeaking out from the girl. She continued up the stairs following her sibling as Jaune idled in the middle of the stairs.

The smell of their shampoo blew into his nostrils. Jaune couldn't tell exactly what it may have been. _Some sort of fruit? Apricots? No, watermelons._

The scent dissipated as fast as it arrived. All Jaune could smell now was the clear air. There was a hint of cleaner behind it actually. It was not just empty space.

Suddenly another scent found its way into Jaune's nostrils. Someone was cooking something. There was cheese and another set of aromas. Bacon and eggs were most probable. One of his older sisters must have been making an omelette.

It smelled great too.

...

As Jaune continued making his way down the stairs, he could hear more people moving around. Five people exactly. No, six. There was another who was being very quiet.

Rounding the final corner, he found where everyone had been gathering. Several blondes were huddled around the bar, each sitting on a stool facing the counter top in front of them. Another was working hard in the kitchen itself, whisking what looked to be eggs.

The cook turned around to face Jaune. "Sup' little brother," Saphron spoke up, fervently working the whisk in her hands. Her cheerful yet booming voice carried across the room. It was enough to drown out the small TV in the kitchen. "Making some breakfast. You want some?"

Saphron Cotta-Arc was Jaune's oldest sister. She lived with her wife, Terra, and son, Adrian, not far from the Arc household in their own home. The oldest of the Arc children, however, would frequently come over to hang out with her little siblings and to help out her mother by dropping them off at school or by making breakfast. Much like what she was doing right now. Jaune's mother also liked to be able to see her grandson every day too.

"Nah," Jaune answered. "I've got to head to school." He rubbed the back of his head. "There's a lot of homework I need to catch up on. Ruby's going to help me out, so I need to meet up with her too."

Blanche snorted loudly, slowly growing to a full cackle.

"That's just an excuse to meet up with your little girlfriend, isn't it," the blonde asked accusingly. At that, the rest of the women all stared at the boy. Five pairs of eyes all locked right onto him.

_Oh boy... Now it begins._

"Jaune has a girlfriend," Saphron squealed in excitement. The rest of the girls started laughing openly. "Why did nobody tell me?!"

_This is even worse than I thought. Saphron totally bought it._

"Uh-uh," Jaune stuttered, trying to find words so he could deny this. "W-We're not like that! Just friends! Really!" He hastily made his way to the door. There was one place he could escape them, and it was outside far away from here.

"Are you sure," Blanche asked him again. This time her voice held a playful tone. The other sisters were still giggling in amusement. Their nephew, Adrian, looked around not sure of what was going on.

"Yes," he shouted back. Jaune was now at the door, holding the knob before opening it.

_Why can't a guy and girl just be friends?! That's all we are! I don't have to date every girl I meet! I can be friends with anybody I want to!_

...

He forcefully shut the door behind him. The barrier was enough to drown out his sisters and their laughter. Not that Jaune could still hear them and knew very well what they were saying. But he was going to ignore it. He was going to head to school after finding Ruby and finish up some of his homework.

"Took you long enough!"

Never mind, Ruby found him.

Ruby Rose had been Jaune's best friend for about three months now. The latter of which returned to Vale after having moved away six years ago. On their first day of school, Ruby fell into his lap. Quite literally.

The two were looking for their classrooms and in the panic ran into each other. Ruby's smaller size paired with her speed was enough to put Jaune on his back after the two collided. She landed on him, much to their embarrassment as their posture in that very moment appeared to be risque at best. It didn't help that there were dozens of other students all surrounding them.

Soon after sorting out the embarrassing moment, they introduced themselves before going out to look for their classes. Each having the same teachers and hours as the other. Jaune then learned Ruby was actually a junior like him, having been moved up two years due to her test scores and past performance in school.

The rest kind of sorted itself out as the two quickly became great friends. It helped that the two were in fact, next door neighbours.

Jaune turned around to face the girl. With that, a new series of aromas and observations ran through his head. Every detail that one may not have noticed unless they tried their damndest to see them became apparent.

The girl in front of him was dressed in her uniform. It was pressed neatly, recently ironed by skilled hands. Looking at her face, Ruby was wearing a slight dusting of makeup. Not enough to be noticed unless you were close, but the touch up did add to her features nicely, making her seem a little more attractive. Only some chapstick that smelled of cherries. No, strawberries. A light blush, some eyeliner, and finally a smidgeon of foundation. On her cheek, there was a slight amount of chocolate by her mouth where the lips met. Most likely, it was due to some hastily devoured pastry. However, another aroma followed, distracting Jaune from the rest. Ruby smelled of strawberries, and not from the chapstick, but from whatever soap she used earlier. Her short hair seemed to be slightly ruffled as well. Not in the immaculate condition, her sister kept her's in, but good enough.

"I was waiting out here for forever," she complained, looking rather adorable as she did so. "I was just about to call too!"

"No, you weren't," Jaune replied, calling her bluff. "You woke up late, took a quick shower, got dressed, and snuck a cookie before running over here. I just happened to open the door when you showed up." He started walking to school with Ruby in tow.

Ruby had a dumbfounded look on her face. This quickly turned into a heavy blush, realising Jaune knew she was lying. "W-What," she stumbled over her words. "How did you know?!"

It was simple, really. "One," Jaune began, numbering off with his fingers. "I'm always waiting for you. Two. Yang's not here, so that mean's you didn't bother to wake her up. And three. You have chocolate on your cheek that you didn't bother cleaning off."

Ruby's sister, Yang, was a heavy sleeper. She could sleep through the biggest earthquakes that Southern California had to offer. Thusly, it was Ruby's job to wake her up because she never would get up for her alarm clock. Today, however, the red-head had another obligation.

Ruby wiped her face, finding that there was indeed chocolate there much to her astonishment. "I knew I should have gone with the strawberries..."

"Cookies have more sugar in them," Jaune disagreed, turning to face the smaller girl. "It will serve as fuel so we can get through this mountain of homework!" He was already looking forward to cramming as much homework into one hour as possible.

"Ugh, don't get me started!" Ruby let her shoulders droop as the dread of completing assignments loomed over the girl.

[Beacon Dining Hall: Several Hours Later]

The day was going well. As well as any ordinary school day could have gone for Jaune. He managed to make a dent in the pile of missing assignments given to him. Ruby was a great help in all of that.

Cardin hadn't bothered to make trouble today either.

So he would take the good with the bad. There was a net positive in this instance, so Jaune would say this was one of his better days.

Now, he was heading to the dining hall. The bell signalled a break in classes and allowed the students to get out for lunch. Jaune was feeling pretty hungry since he skipped breakfast, which was a bit of a mistake on his part. Something to snack on would be much appreciated.

Ruby had gone ahead to find the rest of her friends. Ren and Nora included. Jaune had to drop off one of his assignments that he completed during class, allowing Dr Oobleck to get off his back. So he was alone while everyone else had already made it to the lunchroom.

His stomach growled loudly. Jaune rubbed it before looking up at the door. _Ok, let's grab something to eat and find Ruby again. I'm starving!_

Pushing open the door, Jaune was met with the entirety of Beacon Academy. Four or five rows of tables seated hundreds of students at a time. Every person chatting with someone across from them as they dug into their food. Their conversations creating a cacophony of jumbled noises in the massive hall.

As soon as he stood fully inside the room, a sudden onslaught of stimuli hit Jaune like a charging bull. The smells and sounds clouded his mind as there were so many he couldn't sort through them all. It didn't hurt his ears, but it felt weird in a way he couldn't describe.

He focused in a way as to drown out everything to a manageable level. The sounds around him dulled to become more or less normal. Something that he was used to before getting a concussion.

Jaune attempted to ignore any other distractions on his way to the kitchen. Maybe if he spent some time here, there might have been a chance to get used to it? If not, then Jaune would suck it up and try to eat his food.

He grabbed a light tray of food. Only some chicken, rice, green beans, and a cup of fruit for lunch. Something light in case Jaune became nauseous, which was a regular thing for the past week. Puking his guts up was not something he was looking forward to.

Leaving the kitchen, Jaune found himself back out in the dining hall. He looked down at his tray for a moment before looking up that crowd before him. Ruby was somewhere in this mess, and Jaune wanted to find her. However, there was a wonderful aroma that made itself known.

_Blood..._

_What is that?_ Jaune perked up. His eyes dilated, becoming wide as they began overtaking the iris. Saliva pooling in the base of his mouth. Deep heavy breaths followed at a rapid pace.

It was sweet! It was the most beautiful fragrance that ever graced Jaune's nostrils! The heavens themselves must have opened up to bring forth this aroma. It smelled like his mother's home cooking. Jaune needed more. He needed to find it. Where is it?!

Jaune scanned the room, looking for the source. With so many people, it could have come from anywhere. Where ever this heavenly delight came from, he was going to find it.

His trained on a specific point. A bandage covering another student's left arm. What looked to be a deep cut underneath it. The cloth had a splotch of the life juice staining it.

_Blood..._

_**BLOOD...**_

Jaune's breathing pitched as he caught himself. He looked around and realised he was still standing in the middle of the cafeteria. Why was he standing here?

_What happened?_

He was leaving the kitchen one moment and was standing out here the next. Did he black out momentarily?

Suddenly the background noise and nasal stimuli crashed back to Jaune all at once. This caused his ears to begin ringing painfully as if someone struck an anvil next to his head. Next blistering pain manifested in his frontal lobe causing Jaune to clamp his eyes shut and grit his teeth.

The pain was too much. He couldn't stay here.

Jaune dumped his food into the trash and left the room. He didn't care about catching up to his friends. They would understand. He had to find somewhere quiet. Somewhere he could catch his breath for a moment.

...

Wandering the halls, Jaune passed by dozens of other students. A few teachers passed by without stopping him. Every one of them appeared to be no more than a black silhouette. Figures with no discernable features other than their shape.

_Fuck, this headache..._ Jaune began massaging his temples, hoping to diminish it.

Pulsing at the front of his skull, Jaune had to clench his jaw shut to alleviate the pain. It spread momentarily to the middle brain before returning to the front. With repetitive massaging, the twinge was lessened over time, but Jaune was still forced to endure the momentary aches.

Jaune looked up to find the library was right in front of him. The front doors to it at least. However, he never realised his legs had carried him all the way out here.

He reached for the handle and found the room was unlocked. Here Jaune could rest for a moment to let his headache go away before heading back to class. It was quiet, frankly deserted in most instances, and had comfortable bean-bag chairs. What more could he ask for?

Pulling the door open, Jaune peered inside. He couldn't see anybody from where he was standing. The librarian must have been in her office or stepped out.

_Good, nobody's here!_

Jaune softly closed the door behind him as to not draw attention to himself. He didn't want to explain the reason as to why he was sneaking into the library. Although none of the teachers would chastise him for wanting to go someplace quiet, they would probably just send him to the nurse's office.

He found one of the bean-bag chairs and plopped down into it. The large bag made room for Jaune's weight, expanding outwards from his form. Any air remaining within rushed out with a hiss.

"Ughh," Jaune groaned loudly, rubbing his face with both hands. He leaned back into the chair, letting his head rest on the cushion. It was very soothing. The calm of the room that is. A nice pillowy mass to lay on made it even better.

"What's wrong with you?" A dead-pan tone voice spoke up.

Looking up, Jaune noticed Blake sitting across from him. The bow-wearing girl was silently reading a book, staring back at him from her spot. Her amber eyes narrowed as she focused on the boy. One of her legs crossed over the other as she set the book back into her lap.

Blake Belladonna. Jaune couldn't honestly say how well he knew her. They had spoken a few times in the semester. Only when working together or if Jaune asked her for notes. However, Jaune still considered her to be a friend. They were closer to each other than Jaune was to Weiss.

But what he did know about Blake was that she a faunus. A cat-faunus to be more accurate, having seen her ears once before. All of her friends knew that and kept it a secret for her. Even though she was the daughter of a famous politician and civil rights activist of whom everyone knew was a cat-faunus.

It didn't make much sense to Jaune as to why she wished to keep it a secret, but he obliged by her request.

"If I answered that question, we would be here all day long," Jaune jokingly replied, leaning back onto the bean-bag chair. Thankfully, his headache was almost gone by now.

"Fair enough," Blake monotonously said, tilting her book up to where she could read from it. She seemed to be more keen on her own activity than bothering with Jaune's issues. Of which there were many.

"Headache," Jaune answered truthfully. He knew Blake probably wasn't going to be too concerned over this. As long as someone was not dying right in front of her, it was difficult to get a reaction out of the girl.

Blake looked up from her book. "From getting a concussion?" Jaune suspected Ruby had told everyone about it. Blake proved that theory.

"Yep," Jaune said, popping the 'P.' "I went to go get some lunch, and everything going on in there caused me to get a headache."

His senses being hypersensitive didn't help in that regard. Jaune's damned brain was playing tricks on him, making him think he had super hearing or something like that. Going into the cafeteria before he recovered was a mistake that was not going to be made again.

"Then go home," Blake advised, looking back down at her book. "You're obviously not ready for school yet."

_She has a point._ The nurse would have sent Jaune home or made him lay down for the whole day until his mother could get him.

"Yeah, but I don't want to fall behind," Jaune explained, sitting up straight. "I wasn't allowed to do any homework over the past week, and if I stay home, then it will get worse."

"It's your choice," Blake said, shaking her head side to side. She leaned back and lifted her book high enough to obscure her face.

It was his choice. Blake bluntly made that very clear. At least he finally managed to get more than a paragraph out of the girl. It only took him getting jumped in a dark alleyway to do so.

"Thank's Blake," Jaune chirped, clapping his hands together. "Good talk!"

"Always glad to help..." She licked her finger before turning a page.

[Anteiku: Several Hours Later]

Rag in hand, Jaune wiped down the counter. The small number of crumbs before him and rings from the bottom of mugs disappeared with every swipe. In place, a trail of soapy water followed the motions of the boy's hands.

Jaune had no more issues throughout the day. The cafeteria was a one-off event it seemed. There were times he felt especially parched, but some water or coffee did the trick. His day had gone quite well after the lunch period, ending on a firm net positive.

Work had been quiet today. The coffee shop wasn't busy, which was usual for a Monday night. It was nowhere nearly as terrible as the lunch hall at Beacon. But that was what Anteiku was going for, to be a quiet place where you could enjoy your coffee.

"Jaune, are you sure you want to walk home," Velvet asked, picking up a chair and placing it on a table. "The last time you did, someone sucker-punched you and gave you a concussion." Her voice was filled with concern for the boy and her friend. It showed in her demeanour as well as her speech.

"I'll be fine Velvet," he placated his boss' worries, smiling as he did so. "Just because something happened doesn't mean I'm not going to stop walking everywhere I go."

Another reason is that Velvet's house was in the opposite direction of Jaune's. The roads here in Vale are just as bad or worse than anything you would find in LA. The road conditions often favoured walking or public transportation. Jaune's house was also close, and he really didn't want to bother Velvet over it since it would take forever for the two to get there by car.

However, Jaune still insisted on walking home regardless of the above reasons. This time he chose a different route that took him through a more trafficked area of the city. There would be less of a chance for someone to sneak up on him like last time.

Velvet let out a frustrated exhale. "Fine, but please be careful," she warned, going to shut off the lights. "You're mom scared me when she called in the middle of the night!"

He understood what that must have been like for her. A terrified parent trying to find her son. Velvet being on the receiving end of that call had to have worried her. Actually, it did, because Velvet called him and berated the boy for scaring her like that.

Jaune clasped his hands together as if he were praying and pointed them at Velvet. "I promise to not scare you again," he said earnestly. "If I do, then you reserve the right to slug me."

Before anything else could be said, Velvet delivered a solid punch to Jaune's right bicep. The pain that followed from the point of contact radiated outwards across his entire arm. He quickly rubbed the sore spot to smooth out the pain.

"Ow," Jaune hissed, rubbing the red mark. It was quickly turning into a bruise now.

_I forgot that Velvet does martial arts. No wonder she hits so hard!_

"Good," she chirped. "Now we are even for last week!" Velvet turned around and made way for the door.

_Yes, we are..._

[Outside]

"See you tomorrow, Velvet," Jaune shouted, walking backwards, away from the coffee shop.

"See you later, Jaune," Velvet replied, getting inside her car. The small hatchback came to life with a purr before pulling out.

The car shortly made its exit, leaving Jaune all alone. Before him was a deserted street, reminding him of last week. The streetlamps burned brightly as they always had. Yet there was a thick layer of clouds blocking out the light from the moon tonight.

Jaune turned to face his destination. He calmly walked to it with both hands in his coat pockets. His hood flipped up, blocking the wind from chilling his ears and face.

It was a peaceful night, a little foreboding actually. The lack of any natural light saw to that. Mixed with cloud cover and poor lighting from the streetlamps allowed for a dark atmosphere to take hold.

It was like he was in a scene from a police show or movie. The two detectives walking down a street, coming across a grisly murder scene. One would bend over the body and read the signs before confidently explaining what happened.

Although police work, in reality, is nothing like that. Generally, there would be more police cars with people coming in going. The detectives would never come up to a freshly made crime scene that was not plastered with small markers and already combed over for obvious clues. Never dark and grisly like Jaune's imagination would have one believe.

Exhaling loudly, Jaune let the stress of the day out. It was a bunch of little things that annoyed him. While none lasted more than a few moments, they were enough to earn his ire.

_That's enough, Jaune!_

_No more thinking about it! Cardin didn't decide to show his face. You didn't embarrass yourself in front of any girls! Let's just go home and go to bed!_

_I need to wake up early tomorrow so I can get some more homework done anyway..._

Jaune turned a corner, finding he was near the main square of the city. It resembled Times Square or Shibuya Crossing in a way. Many of Vale's citizens would come here to hang out or pass through here to get to the tram stations beneath the city. The whole block was surrounded by massive skyscrapers on all sides, or really any building that had a dozen or more floors.

As he approached the square, people began popping up left and right. Each was doing their own thing like looking at their phone or talking to someone next to them. Their expressions became more and more visible as the area grew brighter. Some were happy, others were indifferent or downright grouchy for some reason. The variety was honestly stunning.

He had been out here a few times in the past. Jaune was never the one to go out into the city as he preferred the suburbs, but whenever Yang and Ruby deemed it necessary, he would come along. Usually, the boy would just observe the sights while his neighbours did whatever it is they wished.

Jaune looked up at the buildings around him. The massive jumbotrons hanging off them cast an array of colours with every projection. It hurt to look at since he was still sensitive to bright light. Yet, he kept his eyes trained upwards, basking in the setting.

As his focus narrowed, Jaune bumped into the crowd before him. A group of pedestrians were waiting at the crosswalk for the lights to change. More and more gathered behind Jaune, trapping him in the mob. The group acted as one organism waiting for the signal, refusing to part for one individual.

_Great..._

With all of these people here, Jaune felt like he was back at Beacon. It was loud too. Enough that it began to overwhelm his still sensitive ears. It hadn't hurt yet, but Jaune tried his best to focus his mind elsewhere and drown out the noise.

The smells were even worse. Jaune couldn't identify any single one. They were a jumbled mess of stimuli all vying for attention. A chaotic symphony that fought for his attention.

The crowd began moving forward, pushing Jaune with them. He looked to his left and right.

A woman walking with her child.

Two girls casually chatting with a third playfully shaking both.

_People..._

_Blood..._

A man holding his girlfriend's hand.

_Man..._

_Girl..._

_Blood..._

_Drink..._

_BLOOD..._

Saliva pooled in Jaune's mouth, flowing over the crest and down his lips at the prospect of finding the source of that wonderful smell.

**_Where is it?!_**

Jaune's eyes scanned the area, looking for any trace of his desire.

**_Drink their blood..._**

_**BLOOOOOD...**_

"Sir, are you ok," a woman next to him asked. Her voice snapped Jaune back to reality.

"Huh," Jaune muttered, looking at the woman. He didn't know where he was.

_What happened?_

"Come on, get away from that creep," a man next to the woman demanded, tugging her arm.

_Are they afraid of me?_

Jaune took two steps back. A large oval had formed around him like when water runs past a rock. Those who were incoming stared on with frightened expressions, looking into Jaune's eyes. Everyone else tried their hardest to simply avoid the boy.

He broke out of the crowd in a full sprint, trying to get away from there. Jaune didn't know what happened and he didn't want to stick around. He pushed past people with little regard other than for himself. Those he bumped into shouted their frustrations as they faded into the background.

_We got to get home!_ Jaune's heart was pumping out of his chest. He was more frightened than those people. He didn't know what was happening to him.

Jaune turned a corner, knocking over a trash bin. He fell to the floor, unceremoniously along with the rubbish. Several cans tumbled over, causing a clatter as they rolled onto the ground.

"Shhh," he hissed loudly. Jaune's right knee made full contact with the metal can. It sent a throbbing pain throughout his entire leg.

He pushed himself off the ground, coddling that limb for the moment. Jaune waited for the pain to stop before putting any weight on it. There was no break, at least he couldn't feel one. It just hurt.

"Goddammit," he cursed, brushing himself off. Jaune's day was actually going well for once, and this shit happens. _I should have taken Blake's advice and stayed home today!_

Sniffing, an aroma drew Jaune from his concerns. It was that same smell from earlier today. That mouthwatering fragrance he had been looking for all day long.

_Blood..._

"_Blood_-_Blood_-_Blood_-_**Blood**_-_**Blood**_-**_Blood_**-_**BLOOD**_," he repeated the same word over and over again. Each time with more intensity, becoming a mad cry.

The thirst came back even stronger. Jaune needed something to sate it.

A man strolled down the alley from within its depths. He wore a set of baggy clothes that hung off him. His smell was even stranger. He smelled of blood. Fresh warm crimson blood.

**_Man..._**

Jaune took a step towards him. Beneath his feet, drool fell to the ground as it began flowing freely. His footsteps were slow as if he was a predator stalking its prey, hesitating as it did not wish to charge into an attack.

The man looked at Jaune with a confused look on his face. "The fuck is wrong with you," he asked hostilely. The man stood in a standoffish position, holding one hand out to keep the space in between them.

"I need your blood," Jaune demanded. His voice took an unnerving tone, almost growling the words. He took another step closer to the man. "Give it to me!"

Jaune's eyes trained on the man's neck. He could see the outline of his veins and arteries. Pipes that carried fresh blood to and frow.

"Get the fuck away from me," the man said scaredly. He took a step back, afraid of the boy in front of him. As Jaune took another step, he lashed out, shoving the boy backwards.

Jaune was not phased by this push and kept coming. The man pulled out a switchblade, unfolding the knife in a single move. He lunged forward, plunging the blade deep into Jaune's right pectoral.

There was no pain. Only the crimson leaking out from beneath the hoodie where the blade met its mark. The smell of Jaune's own blood wafted to his nostrils, causing his eyes to dilate even further.

Suddenly, Jaune grabbed the man's left arm, still holding onto the knife. He snapped the limb with a mere flick of the wrist, eliciting a scream from the man. The forearm bent at a forty-five-degree angle from his elbow in a sickening crunch as bones snapped and muscles tore.

Yanking the man to him, Jaune spun him around. He grasped at his mouth, clamping a single hand over it before turning his head to the side. The man's neck exposed to the world.

Jaune bit down on the soft tissue, puncturing the carotid artery and jugular vein at once. Blood gushed from beneath their meeting point, spraying the brick walls just opposite of them. More and more pooled on the ground beneath them, splashing on the blood that had already landed.

The man struggled and struggled, but couldn't do anything to help himself. His body slowly became limp and stopped moving. Jaune dropped the man to the ground after a short while, detaching his jaws from the man's neck.

Jaune stood there, breathing heavily as he satisfied his thirst. Blood stained his mouth and face, dripping off with every exhale.

_**YES...**_

His breathing hitched once again. Suddenly pain coursed throughout his body. A searing pain cut right through him coming from his chest.

Jaune looked down to see a knife sticking out of his chest. Blood dripped from beneath his hoodie and onto the ground. Flowing to be more accurate as constant stream came from within him.

"Oh shit," Jaune cursed at the sight of the blade. He reached for the knife and pulled it out, slowly. More and more blood spilt out onto the concrete, joining the remaining gore on the floor. The pain from the separation followed, paralysing Jaune.

He held the knife in his hand. How did that get there? Who stabbed him? His eyes left the knife and trained on the corpse at his feet. The lifeless body lay there with pale skin and dead eyes.

_Oh, FUCK!_

Jaune dropped the knife and stepped backwards. He wanted to scream, shout for help, but he couldn't do anything. The fear kept him frozen as he gazed at the body.

Suddenly, he remembered what happened. At the cafeteria. At the crossing. Now, here. Jaune killed that man.

_What did I do?!_

Jaune took another step back before breaking out into a full sprint.

* * *

**Calling someone a monster does not make him more guilty; it makes him less so by classing him with beasts and devils. **

**-Mary McCarthy**

* * *

**Now can any of you tell me where the Crossing scene is from? It's very obvious which anime I pulled it from! **


	3. Realisation

**It's a ya boi, back for another Minecraft video! Episode 28 - season 4. **

**I just cranked this chapter out over the weekend and Tuesday. I literally wrote the last two thousand words of this in about two hours. **

**It wasn't a difficult chapter, per se. I just got distracted again. **

**My newest addiction being Stellaris. The hardest fucking game I've ever played. **

**Well it's not the hardest game anymore. I learned how to play it over a few dozen sessions experimenting with the gameplay. My most recent run was doing well too. Until I accidentally declared war on a species that had an alliance with three other empires. **

**Got my shit pushed in real quick!**

**I also got wrapped up in something on Sunday too, so I couldn't write either. It was because I**** was playing bingo. ****And before any of you make fun of me for it! The last round's grand prize was nine grand. That's a lot of money to be bored out of my fucking mind for about two hours. Didn't win it, but I was close by two fucking spaces before nobody won the jackpot. **

**But back to the fic! **

**This chapter was pretty easy to write. Jaune figures out what's been going on with him. Other than the fact he just sucked some dude dry in an alleyway. **

**However, before I have anybody question Jaune's actions in this chapter! Just know that he's not exactly in a good place at the moment. **

**If nothing else! I give you 5,428 words of Jaune losing his shit!**

* * *

Things were not going well for Jaune right now...

As he sprinted back to his house, Jaune couldn't think of anything except for what happened in that alleyway.

The taste of that man's blood. It was the first thought of which came to mind. How it tasted so sweet and delicious. Like Summer Rose's homemade cookies or his own mother's comfort foods. There was nothing that genuinely compared to such a fine and delectable ambrosia like what he had just experienced for the first time.

But that wasn't the problem. Actually, only a part of the whole problem.

Jaune had fucking killed a man without a second thought! Just murdered him and left him in the middle of an alleyway like a piece of trash! Jaune knew the man was dead before he even hit the ground, and he just took off like a bat out of hell.

The image of that man's face came to mind. His dark skin was almost grey in colour - cold and clammy without any blood left to keep him warm any longer. Those dead eyes stared up at the stars with no life left inside where there was once an ember. His neck was torn to shreds, covered in Jaune's teeth marks. Small strands of flesh hung from the open wound. His body lying in a pool made from his own blood, surrounded by stains splattered all over the walls as if someone took a paintbrush coated in paint and whipped it around, throwing long streaks onto a canvas.

It made Jaune want to vomit at seeing the image of his body once again.

He just wanted to bend over onto the nearby grass and throw everything up. The taste of his vomit would have been better than the taste of blood as well. At least the contents of his stomach would have washed the remaining blood in his mouth out.

Nothing about what happened in that alleyway was right.

Aside from Jaune killing that guy. The taste of blood was the worst of it. Jaune hated how it tasted to him. How sweet it had been. How he enjoyed the flavour more than anything else he had ever come across.

It was all wrong... It made him feel so guilty that he had liked the taste of blood.

Jaune hadn't considered what happened to his chest, either. That knife had dug deep into the muscle. However, he couldn't even feel any pain originating from where he had been stabbed. Adrenaline must have been keeping him from feeling it. Yet he still expected it to be bleeding pretty heavily under his hoodie. Maybe he could wrap it?

_Just take care of it when we get to our room... One thing at a time Jaune._

There were too many things going on for him to focus. Jaune's priority was to find someplace where he could have some privacy. His room and more specifically, Jaune's bathroom was the best place to do it. Luckily, most of his neighbours seemed to be retiring for the night. He would have some cover heading through the darkness.

As of now, he could see his house down the road. The lights were on. They originated from the front of the house and a few windows on the second story, casting a faint glow out onto the street and the front yard. Someone must have been awake still. It was only ten at night now.

Jaune slowed to a walk as he approached his house. He must have sprinted a few miles just getting here, and he really needed to take a moment to cool down. He couldn't let his family know something had gone wrong.

He didn't even want to consider what would happen if they saw him coming inside covered head to toe in blood. They would think he got attacked again or something and Jaune couldn't handle that kind of attention.

Jaune took a deep breath, wiping his face with both hands. _Let's just get inside and head straight to our room. Just act like your tired and play it off..._

He was terrified right now. Jaune couldn't lie about it. His hands were shaking, and the rest of him was one edge, feeling like something was about to attack him. His throat started to feel insanely dry as well.

He did the best he could to clean up after what happened. The nearest hose a few blocks away served that purpose well. At least to clean his face and hands off. So, there was a chance nobody would see any blood on him.

Fortunately, Jaune wore a black hoodie tonight. All he had to do was get into his room then he could get rid of it, and sit down.

Approaching his house, Jaune's heart rate skyrocketed. His breathing hitched and shuddered with every breath. The shaking became so much worse. Everything slowed to a crawl, enough that he could hear his pulse thumping in his ears.

_Calm down, Jaune! You can do this!_

Standing in front of his house, Jaune stared up at the building. He could see shadows moving in front of the windows on the second floor. None on the first. Maybe this was his chance to get inside without anybody noticing?

Slowly, Jaune pushed open the gate. Metal ground against metal, letting out a horrifyingly loud creak as he did so. The sound stood above the chirping crickets and gusts of wind. It felt like the sound carried all across the neighbourhood like a firecracker being blown up out on the streets.

Jaune stopped opening the gate, leaving enough space for him to squeeze through. He closed the gate quickly, avoiding attracting any attention by lifting the latch and setting it gently back into place. A small click emanating from their meeting point.

On the front porch now, Jaune could hear everything that was going on inside the first twenty or so feet with clarity. The rest was a muddled mess of sounds that had no discernable features. His mother and one of his sisters were in the living room most likely watching TV. Another was in the kitchen getting a drink. The faucet started up soon after a glass touched the stone countertop.

Jaune grabbed hold of the doorknob. He hesitated to go inside. For what? There was nothing wrong right now. He was only feeling tired after pulling a long shift at work. Then he got lost walking back to the house.

Pushing the door open, Jaune was granted yet another bountiful cluster of stimuli to his olfactory system. The smell of boiled pasta and cooked beef with parmesan were the most noticeable of them. The subtle scent of a home-cooked tomato sauce meant spaghetti and meatballs were waiting for him.

Frankly, the smell made his mouth water the moment he walked in. But he wasn't hungry. He just needed to get a shower in and pass out for the night. Maybe he would wake up early in the morning and get some homework done.

"Jaune, there's spaghetti still in the kitchen if you want some," a voice spoke up from the side.

Jaune turned to see his mother looking at him. Next to her was Saphron and Adrian sitting on the couch. It seemed like the two were talking right now as they watched a show. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

That was how it was supposed to be. Nothing was wrong right now.

"No thanks," he quickly replied, heading up the stairs. "I got something at work. I'm just going to sleep!"

He quickly scurried up the stairs before anything could be said in reply.

[Jaune's bedroom]

Shutting the door and locking it behind him, Jaune fell against the mass of oak. He was finally somewhere safe. His room was devoid of anybody else, and now he had some privacy. A moment to think at least.

Pushing off the door, Jaune started pacing back and forth in his room. He buried his face into his hands, groaning loudly into his palms. The subtle sounds of his footsteps echoed in the small room.

_Fuck_ \- _fuck_ \- _fuck_ \- **_FUCK!_**

_I can't believe I killed someone. What do I do?!_

_Then there was what happened in the cafeteria and the crosswalk! I'm losing my fucking mind!_

Jaune remembered everything that transpired earlier today. It wasn't him blacking out and forgetting where he was. Jaune was literally turning into another person. Some Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde shit! At least that's what he thought was happening...

_It has to be that concussion. It's the only thing that happened in the last week that can explain it!_

Sudden brain damage was bringing on psychotic episodes where he lusted for someone else's blood. It was his brain playing tricks on him. But why did he suddenly remember everything after he killed a guy? Or what was triggering these episodes in the first place?

It really couldn't be that cut and dry, right?! If that was the case, then killing that guy could have also been a part of it. It could be a complete fabrication of his mind. Jaune may not have even killed someone.

The image of the man's body came to mind again. It was a sudden flashback playing the scene over again. The thoughts and feelings came with it. How his skin felt so warm to the touch before it turned grey and cold. The heavenly passion to which his teeth tore into the prey.

The sensations of gorging himself on a human's blood washed over his tastebuds, making his hair stand on end. All Jaune could taste was that sickeningly sweet taste of the crimson life fluid flowing through that man's veins. It disgusted him with how wondrous it felt.

Jaune swallowed once to attempt clearing his throat. His head was beginning to feel slightly woozy. A bead of sweat formed on his brow, trailing down the side of his face. The sudden bout of nausea slammed into Jaune's skull like a freight train. He tried to swallow a second time, taking in deep breaths to clear his head.

He couldn't do it. No matter how much spit he attempted to gather in his mouth, Jaune couldn't swallow. The saliva gathered in his mouth, in the back of his throat, clogging his oesophagus. The mucus drowned his uvula in an ocean of slime.

His throat spasmed once, forcing Jaune to gag loudly.

A feeling welling up inside him came up through his throat. He gagged a second time making the sensation all the worse. It intensified to an almost unbearable degree.

Jaune turned on his heel, rushing to the restroom. A series of clicks from the bottom of his shoes followed. He threw the door open, going straight for the light. It flicked on revealing the tile floors and tan sheetrock walls. None of which concerned Jaune.

He dove into the toilet, opening the lid as he did so. The ceramic plate smashing into the bowl, echoing in the small room. Jaune gagged once more before a dry heave. Another, some mucus with more dry heaving that followed soon after.

Upon retching a third time, Jaune vomited into the toilet. The sudden rush of bile forced its way out of his stomach and up through his oesophagus landing in the bowl before him. Jaune only continued heaving and coughing as his body forcibly ejected anything left within.

When he finished, an awfully sour taste took hold over his taste buds.

_Gross..._

Jaune wiped his mouth with his right hand, cleaning the last bit of saliva and whatever else remained on the corner of his mouth. The tiny bit of spit smeared up his forearm as he did so. Not that it bothered him in any way. At least he got it all out of his system.

Half-crawling away from the toilet and leaning against the wall, Jaune's eyes turned towards the bowl once again.

He was curious, and quite honestly afraid of the truth. If he had killed that guy and drank his blood, then there would have been some in his vomit. Jaune remembered swallowing a lot of blood when it happened. So logically, there should have been some in the toilet bowl.

Hopefully, that wasn't the case, and he could say this was a hallucination.

He peeked over the edge of the bowl, staring at its contents. Some remains of a muffin he snatched at work. What looked to be half-digested broccoli and green beans. But no blood. Not even a trace of red where there should have been plenty of it.

_Maybe I'm just going crazy..._

That would be good in this case. Vale had excellent mental health facilities where he could get treated. He would wait until morning and explain everything to his mom. She would understand... probably.

_That feels like an awful idea now..._

It did. If he were to tell anybody about what he experienced, then his life would be over as he knew it. Jaune would be committed to a mental ward and stay there for the foreseeable future. He may also be locked up inside his house where his mother keeps the fine china.

Jaune groaned loudly. "This really sucks," he said to himself. _I'm seeing shit! Everything feels so off lately! What is going on with me?!_

He headed over to the sink to wash his hands off. Jaune needed to check his chest just to be sure there was nothing wrong there either. If both were fine, then the entire thing was an illusion conjured up by his mind.

Washing his hands, Jaune let the warm water run over them for just a moment. Two spritzes of soap then he began to lather them fervently until he deemed both as clean as he could get them. He had run into a dirty trashcan earlier and didn't want to risk anything.

After he was done, Jaune shook out both of his hands and reached for a towel. The outline of his image stood in his peripheral vision as he reached over. Snatching the towel, he swiftly dried his hands and placed it back upon the rack.

Jaune let out another breath of air, placing both hands on the countertop. He needed this. A moment to rest after everything that happened. Some time to himself to settle his nerves before going to bed. That's if he managed to tonight.

Looking up at his reflection, Jaune let out a shriek when he was struck by the image before him. He took a step back, tripping and falling backwards. His back hit the door hard and slid down onto the floor, eventually ending up on his but.

_What the fuck was that?!_

What he had seen was enough to startle any normal human being. Jaune had nearly shite himself when he saw his reflection in the mirror. Oh, he had hoped this was another moment where his mind was playing tricks on him. Because if not, Jaune was going to freak the fuck out.

He grabbed the countertop and pulled himself to his feet.

Holding his eyes shut, Jaune could barely hope to crack them open after what he saw. His heart started racing once again to where it was almost beating out of his chest. The sound it made could be heard even in this small room. A constant thumping sound continuing on an ever-present loop.

_This isn't real! This can't be real! I'm just inside some sort of coma dream or tripping out!_

Jaune slowly opened his eyes, bracing himself for what he might see again. If it was real, then none of this was a trick inside his mind.

He ultimately opened his eyes completely and stared directly at the mirror. His reflection was the first article in the field of view, and then everything else behind Jaune.

But his eyes...

His eyes were no longer those of a human.

Where his sclera had initially been white. They were now black. Not just any black, but as dark as two pieces of coal. Smooth and dull like matte paint that did not create any reflection. Red veins carried his blood across the surface of both eyes as they should have been, yet these stuck out - almost glowing compared to their backdrop. The capillaries seemed to begin from his iris, spreading outward like rivers of lava spewing from a volcano.

Jaune leaned forward into the mirror to get a clearer look at his eyes. He needed to do a double-take to see if this was actually happening. Jaune spread his eyelids wide open, causing his pupils to contract. His hands shook as he did so, not letting him get any better of a look. Eventually, his eye spasmed from the discomfort, forcing him to let go.

Wiping his eye from the sudden moisture that built up, Jaune looked back up to the mirror. He traced the outer edges of his eyes, following the largest capillaries up to his iris. When he reached it, all Jaune could do was stare at it.

His cobalt blue iris was no longer there. Both irises were dark orange - shaped like any other iris with crypts and furrows running along the edge of his pupil. Those depressions in the layer of tissue were merely a darker orange or completely black. To top it off, each of his eyes slightly glowed in the mirror, flaring up almost as if they were on fire.

_No-no-no-no-no-no!_

Jaune backed away from the mirror, starting to pace back and force. He ran a hand through his hair, combing the locks backwards in one swoop. The sound of his shoes clicking on the floor filled the small room. Jaune's shaky breaths followed.

_What happened to my eyes?!_

His gut was tossing and turning in an anxious frenzy of emotions. It was like a knot twisting and pulling tighter with every thought running through his head. It almost felt like it was going to snap and he'd just break down crying on the floor.

_Fuck!_

Jaune slammed his hands down on the countertop. More than anything, he was pissed off. Especially with his emotions running wild as they were now. Things were falling apart around Jaune, and he finally realised it.

Everything that happened tonight was real.

Jaune looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes hadn't changed colours at all. He didn't even know if they would go back to normal or if they would just be stuck like this forever. The latter of which concerned him greatly.

As he continued staring at himself, Jaune's eyes trained themselves to his chest. Everything else around him became blurry as both of his pupils focused solely on his hoodie. He was waiting for his brain to come up with anything he could use as an idea, and that's when he saw it.

There was still a hole in his hoodie.

One of Jaune's hands came up to where the hole was. It was a small tear in the cloth exactly where he had been stabbed. Yet to his loss, the cut was exactly the same size as that knife.

However, as he ran his hands over the cloth, Jaune couldn't find any trace of blood. Not even a little dried blood, given how long it had been since he was stabbed.

_Why is there no blood?! There should be some blood right here!_

Jaune tore off the hoodie, stripping himself in less than a second from the heavy cotton. It hit the ground and soon after, his shirt as well. Both were cast about the room wherever they may land. Jaune didn't care either, he just needed to see.

_What the fuck?_

Without a top on, Jaune was bare to the world. His skin exposed to the lights hanging just above his mirror, reflecting a small amount of it. However, not a single drop of blood.

There was not even a cut where there should have been one. Jaune expected to have some stab wound that might need stitches, but there was nothing. Just smooth pale skin. No blood pouring from a puncture wound. No scar either.

_Why?_

_I felt the knife! I pulled it out! Why isn't there any blood!_

_This couldn't be real then? If there wasn't a stab wound, then all of this has to be my imagination._

The pieces were not falling together accordingly now. Jaune knew he was stabbed! It hurt like hell when he pulled it out. But there was nothing there. A tear in his hoodie, but without a knife wound, there was nothing to indicate anything that happened was real.

What happened to his eyes must have been some form of hallucination. Still, Jaune had no clue what was going on. Maybe it was some sort of coma, or he was just seeing things?

_That can't be it!_ Jaune pushed off the counter, turning towards the door. _There's a hole in my hoodie right where I was stabbed! The shape's the same too._

_I have to know... I have to know if this is real or not!_

Jaune rushed over to his desk. His eyes scanned rapidly for anything sharp he could use. He opened a drawer and began rummaging through it, pushing pens, pieces of paper, and other random junk aside. Eventually, he found what he was looking for.

A small buck knife, hidden among the various items inside his desk. It sat there in front of Jaune as he contemplated his next series of actions. The brass and wooden handle shone in the light, gleaming at just the right angle.

_There you are..._ Jaune reached out to grab the knife. Just before his hand could graze the small toolset, he stopped in his tracks. Something was not allowing him to proceed with his plan.

_Am I really going to do this?_ Jaune couldn't believe he was. He couldn't know if he didn't, and yet his fear was keeping him frozen like a statue.

_I have to! I saw that knife stuck in my shoulder!_ Jaune grabbed the knife and started heading back to the restroom. _If this is all real, I should have a cut from this knife._

Jaune stomped into the restroom closing the door behind him. The last thing he needed was someone walking in while he was going to do this. It would just be another challenge to have to explain everything that happened. He would have to tell them what transpired in that alleyway.

They might just think he was crazy. Jaune would have to agree with them. He was about to slice open his hand to see if this was some sort of weird hallucination. To anybody else, they would have thought Jaune was going mad.

He flicked open the knife in one motion, setting the blade into its lock. A small click originating from their meeting. The silver-coloured steel gleamed just barely in the light despite the metal's dull texture. A perfectly clean blade, never used for anything besides cutting paper.

Jaune took in a deep breath. He was honestly nervous about doing something this extreme. But desperate times call for desperate measures, right? Especially when you get stabbed with a knife, and suddenly there's no wound an hour later.

_Ok, let's do this!_

He pressed the blade against his finger, not cutting the skin, merely laying the steel against it. He still had some apprehension about cutting himself like this, but he needed to know.

With a little more pressure, the blade sank into the skin. It hadn't even started pierced the flesh with a small amount of pressure applied. He applied some more, depressing the skin even further than it had already been.

_Come on, just do it!_

Jaune began drawing the blade across his finger. The fine edge combined with the pressure behind it was enough to dig into the flesh. A small trickle of blood began spilling out from the start of the cut, running down the skin as Jaune moved further along the side of his finger.

His heart started beating out of his chest as he kept going. A burning pain radiated outwards from the cut as Jaune dragged the blade along its entirety. This pain spread up his hand and eventually, his arm as more flesh was rendered in twain.

_Fuck, this hurts!_

More blood had begun pouring out from the wound with every millimetre taken with this cut. It was no longer a mere trickle, but now flowing like a river from the gash in his finger. Most dripped off the tip of the digit and into the ceramic basin in front of Jaune, staining the white countertop.

As he reached the end of the blade, Jaune pulled back the knife and dropped it into the sink. The metal let out a clatter as it landed and danced around the bowl, sliding around the sides with blood acting as a lubricant.

The boy himself clenched his right hand, trying to stifle the pain. He let the blood drip from his finger while he controlled himself. It would run down the drain, so there was no longer an issue. Jaune just had to catch his breath and make sure he didn't pass out.

Jaune took a deep breath, calming himself so he could think.

He knew this wasn't a dream. The cut was still there and was bleeding quite heavily. Not enough to need to go to the emergency room. Jaune could wrap it and leave the wound to heal on its own.

_Well, at least I know..._

Jaune looked down at the cut on his finger. Most of his left hand was now coated in a fine layer of blood. It all cascaded down his fingers and into the bowl. Only a small trickle came down his wrist and soon his arm.

_Maybe I was just seeing things?_

He reached for a dark coloured towel to staunch the flow of blood. There was no point in ruining his good towels by staining them. Jaune only needed something to keep himself from bleeding all over the place while his cut sealed itself up.

Just before he could wrap his fingers, Jaune noticed something happening to his hand.

The blood had stopped flowing. It was no longer dripping off his pinky and into the sink. Jaune stared at his hand, curiously for a moment, surprised at how quickly that happened.

_That's weird... Usually, it takes a bit longer to stop._

As he continued to stare, the remaining blood seemed to move on its own. It was no longer advancing with gravity and down into the bowl. It wasn't drying and sticking to his hand.

It was flowing backwards. Jaune's blood was heading upstream, leaving his lower digits for the upper ones. Slowly, the pinky and ring finger were devoid of any blood and were entirely clean. The rest of his fingers were found to be in the same manner of cleanliness moments after.

Jaune stared at his hand in utter silence. He couldn't even manage a thought as he watched the blood that had once spilt out from his finger had climbed back up his hand. This did nothing more than leave Jaune completely dumbstruck as to what just happened in front of him.

As the blood had gathered on his index finger, it appeared to flow right back into the cut from where it had left the body. More and more of it quickly crawled back into the wound, disappearing from view entirely. Finally, all of the blood that remained on his hand was gone. It was either in the sink or had just vanished.

The image was almost resemblant of a movie with some sort of nanomachines involved. How they almost flowed like water in some instance yet were able to direct their travel with a conscience. Except, this was real life and not some sci-fi flick. Jaune's blood had done something similar to a terrifying degree.

"What the fuck was that," Jaune asked himself out loud.

The wound didn't even stop there. It slowly closed from the end of the cut to where Jaune had plunged the blade in the first place. This in no way resembled any realistic healing process. The skin pulled itself back together from start to finish, skipping any sort of scabbing or ugly discharges.

And before Jaune knew it, the wound had closed. There simply was no sign of where a knife had cut into him. Not even a scar to indicate there had ever been a blemish on the skin.

"What the fuck was that," Jaune asked himself out loud again. This time with more emphasis.

No way had that just happened. Jaune couldn't believe what he had seen with his own eyes. There was no way this was real. It couldn't have been.

This was just some weird dream that he was in. It was one where Jaune had a healing factor, and he was some kind of mutant. That was the only thing he could explain this away with.

Jaune swallowed once again to clear his mouth. A generous amount of saliva had built up in the time he stared at his hand with a slack jaw. Some even flowed down the side of his lip and onto his chest during that time.

He brought a hand up to his mouth and wiped it away in one move. As he rubbed his hand along his lips, Jaune felt something else graze them. It poked into the skin and roughly dragged itself along his arm.

Jaune pulled his arm back and looked down at his hand. There was a narrow red line where something pointy scratched his skin. This mark too disappeared quickly like the cut on his finger. Although more naturally than the blood which had defied gravity.

_Was that from my teeth?_

He looked into the mirror again. To his misfortune, both of his eyes had not changed one bit yet. They were still black with their orange iris. A sight Jaune was never going to get used to if he had to see it again. That's if they ever changed back to their normal blue.

_Well, my eyes are still fucked up. That's nothing new..._

Jaune turned his attention back to his mouth. He needed to see if there was something wrong with his teeth. Had he actually used them to bite something, there might have been a chip on one of them. They usually were never this sharp, not even his canines.

_Let's see here..._

Pulling back his upper lip into an almost snarling expression, Jaune had a full view of his teeth. His pearly whites seemed virtually unchanged. A slight bit of plaque build-up from the day, but nothing out of the... ordinary.

Jaune could see them plainly. His canines. They were... larger, so to speak.

They were both nearly double their original length. Closing his teeth together made that much more obvious given how they surpassed his lower jaw and touched the gums.

They were now fangs. That's what they were.

Jaune shook his head, turning his gaze downwards. Both hands came up, cupping his mouth and lower jaw. He let out a tired groan, realising what had truly happened. Everything had finally explained itself to him, and he had all the answers.

_Fuck my life..._

_I'm a vampire._

_I really killed that guy. I literally drank his blood._

That meant for the last week, Jaune's senses were no longer that of a human's or faunus. They were more sensitive to stimuli because he was a goddamned vampire. He was smelling his friends and family like a predator would a gazelle.

Jaune turned around and walked out of the bathroom. His tired legs carried him all the way to his bed. When he reached it, Jaune merely flopped down onto it face first. After all, he was tired.

_Maybe I'll wake up, and this was just a dream all along..._

* * *

**"What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams." **

** Werner Herzog**

* * *

**Jaune . exe has shut down. **

**See you next week! I'm going back to college in literally two days!**


	4. The Snowflake

_**When hope is gone... Undo this lock... And send me forth... On a moonlit walk. **_

**I recently discovered Hellsing Abridged, and I fucking love it. I like the original show as well. (The Ultimate, not the 2001 version.) However, showing Alucard as a trash talking asshole is so much funnier than I thought it would be. **

**It gives me ideas for what I want to do with this Fic. Lots of killing vampires and a bunch of other random shit of course. **

**That will come in due time, however, we need to get the basics done first. **

**This chapter, I introduce two other members of RWBY. And Jaune will continue to go downhill from here. Eventually we've got to hit rock bottom and Jaune will just accept that he's a vampire. **

**That will be next chapter. Then Jaune will start killing shit. I don't want to make you guys wait any longer.**

**Jaune will also be going down the harem route eventually. Not the fucking, a bunch of girls like him and nothing happens harem bullshit.**

* * *

**Edit note: 12/18/19 I changed a single line to adjust for further chapters ahead. This line changes how Jaune ended up tellings his feelings for Weiss. **

* * *

Jaune snapped awake suddenly, pushing himself off his stomach and onto his knees. He whipped around, examining his surroundings and getting a feel for his surroundings. His sore body ached with every movement, feeling heavy and lethargic. His breathing racing as he realised where he was.

He had awoken inside his room around the same general area he plopped down when he fell asleep. Jaune's bathroom remained open with the light on just like he remembered. The boy himself was shirtless with his hoodie and t-shirt laying near the open washroom. Everything matched up with a series of events that took place eight hours beforehand.

_That couldn't have been a dream... _

It was far too real to be any dream or even a nightmare. Jaune remembered everything so vividly. He would be kidding himself if he thought otherwise. After what happened yesterday, Jaune was sure it couldn't have been anything else.

_Wait, what time is it?!_

The sudden thought prompted him to search for his Scroll in the area around his bed. Jaune hadn't woken up to his alarm, and neither did he set one when he fell asleep. It was his own body throwing itself back to consciousness for no specified reason. That's what worried him, especially if one of his sisters walked in on Jaune frantically getting out of bed and he hadn't even taken care of the mess he made last night.

A few confusing moments later, he found his Scroll laying about a foot away from him. He read the time and saw he had actually woken up a half-hour earlier than usual.

Good that his biological clock was still working. Everything else had gone tits-up on him in the span of an hour. It actually seemed as though it was working better as Jaune woke up at six in the morning.

However, the glaring issue at this moment was the realisation Jaune came to last night. The most logical thing he could say was the events last night were a dream. It was much better than the alternative where he was a vampire.

_Could I really be a vampire? They're not supposed to be real. Just a fictional monster. Then what happened last night?_

Now that he had some time, Jaune needed to conclude whether or not that was a dream. Asking the same question several times and testing the theory that came out of it was the best way to debunk any other possibilities. It would have to be the most improbable of all of them.

_I need to retrace my steps from last night... Starting with the bathroom._

He plugged his Scroll back into its charger and pushed himself from the bed. The change in posture and pressure on his joints elicited a series of pops and cracks, sounding awfully like a bag of chips being squeezed. From there he tiredly shuffled across the room to the washroom where he had last been before passing out.

Entering the restroom, Jaune looked down at the sink. Inside the basin, there was a spattering of blood and streaks where it had flowed towards the drain. Where Jaune had his hands the previous night was where the highest concentration of them was. The fact the bloody knife still remained with its blade unfolded and covered in blood was a testament to the events.

_Okay, I did cut myself last night. That's true..._ He looked down at his finger where he had sliced himself open. _No scar, so that weird regeneration thing was also real. What about my eyes?_

He looked up into the mirror for a moment to see his eyes turn coal-black once again. Both irises glowed bright orange as they studied the man on the other side of the mirror. They almost seemed hungry, like a lion's gaze.

_GODDAMMIT!_

Jaune slammed his hands down on the vanity hard. A few shaky breaths came out through his nose as he realised once again that everything that happened last night was indeed real. Yet, Jaune could only feel angry about it.

How his life was turned upside down in the span of an hour.

His heart burned as the crescendo of his internal organs reached their peak. The feeling was similar to someone else running him through with a red-hot iron. That was how the remorse came, knowing what he had done last night was real.

The taste of that man's blood sat on his tastebuds still. Ever alluring the boy to get another serving of the crimson fluid. Jaune wanted to gag at feeling this urge once again.

_I'm a vampire, but I didn't want to do any of that last night! I don't want to kill people! _

_It was that woman who did this! She made me into this monster! _

It wasn't his fault. There was no way it could be his fault. Something inside him forced Jaune to kill that man. Now that Jaune knew what he was, it made the picture clear for once. Why he lost control in the first place.

_*Thud*_

_What was that?_

Jaune turned around to face the origin of the sound. It came from out in the hallway. A single knock seemed quite unusual. However, it was enough to pull his focus away from the sink and towards the entrance of his room.

"_Yo, Jaune,_" a voice sounding like Blanche's called through the door. "_You might want to wake up before your girlfriend comes calling!_"

A sudden twinge of irritation rushed through his veins at hearing the label. Jaune knew she was talking about Ruby, and he had even told his sisters they weren't dating.

"I'm awake," he called out grumpily. "I'll be out in a few minutes!"

He turned back to the restroom and shut the door behind him. Jaune didn't need any more interruptions. However, this one quelled whatever negative emotions that had been fuming over the past few minutes.

Jaune took a deep breath in and wiped his face with both hands. The boy paced back and forth, trying to come up with a plan for today. He knew at the very least he needed to tread carefully after last night.

_I'm not really feeling like going to school right now..._

_Maybe I can just play hooky today? Tell Mom I'm not feeling well, and I should stay home. But I need to make it convincing. _

_What if she doesn't buy it? She might start asking questions. Or take me to the doctors again. What if they run tests? Somebody might find out that I'm a vampire. _

If vampires really exist, then someone has to be able to tell the difference between them and a human or faunus. There has to be something in the blood or another physiological difference.

_I can't let her or anybody know that I'm a vampire. Or that anything's wrong. _

_The government might arrest me and keep me as a prisoner. I'll just be a lab rat so they can run experiments on me. Or they'll just kill me._

He paused in the centre of the mirror, staring intently at his reflection. Those eyes stared right back at him with an unwavering glare. Jaune took one breath, calming himself down. His eyes faded back to their normal colours with the black sclera vanishing before him.

_Then I can't stay at home... I'll just act normal, and try to get through school today. I don't have to work tonight either, so that's good. _

_We can figure this out later..._

Jaune turned around and headed to the shower. He had to meet up with his friend in a few minutes. Better to not be late and risk the ensuing interrogation.

[A Few Enthusiastic Moments Later]

Jaune exited the shower a few minutes later after getting washed up. He made sure to clean the sink as well, so no evidence was left behind. He couldn't chance someone coming in after him and seeing the blood. The hoodie didn't seem to have any blood on it either. Jaune would take care of that when he had the chance.

As he shut the light off and left the washroom, Jaune froze in fear.

The sun had fully crossed the horizon and partially visible from the window. That giant ball of nuclear fusion stared right back at him through his blinds. Yet, the room remained in shadow for that reason. Those bands of plastic stopped it from coming through.

_If I'm a vampire, will I get burned by the sun? _

It was a universal trope throughout the lore surrounding vampires that they were harmed or killed by the sun. In some media, the sun didn't outright kill them but just left them weakened. However, this was the real world, not some video game, movie, or awful vampire novels.

If Jaune was a vampire, then he should expect that he may be harmed by the sun. This would inevitably throw a wrench into his entire plan as he would be stuck inside for the foreseeable future. It could also expose Jaune if he just started turning into a giant fireball or whatever vampires did.

_I have to know..._

He walked right up to the blinds and grabbed hold of the lift strings. Jaune took a deep breath and pulled them hard. The shades came up as he brought his hand down, exposing the interior of his house to the blinding sun.

The sudden increase in brightness forced Jaune to close his eyes. He turned away from the window, still standing in the sunlight. Series of colourful spots darted in his vision, growing and contracting as Jaune's retinas acclimated to the change.

_That hurts..._ He reached up to wipe his eyes.

After a moment, Jaune could actually see what was outside his window. Yet, he didn't explode, turn into ash, or feeling anything. It was significantly warmer, however, now that he had been standing in the sunlight for several minutes.

_Maybe the glass is blocking the light?_

Glass can filter out certain types of U.V. rays. It's possible the window was keeping them out, and thus, keeping Jaune alive.

Jaune reached up and grabbed the locking mechanism on the window. With a flick of the wrist, he unlatched the piece of metal. Then, he reached down to the rail and grasped it with both hands.

_Okay, Jaune, you can do it..._

He pulled up on the window, taking it all the way to the top. A sudden explosion of sounds came through. Birds chirping, the engines of cars, and a distant ambulance siren.

But Jaune...

He was perfectly fine. Just standing there like a deer in headlights. There was not even a blemish on him from the sun's rays.

_So, that means I'm like a daywalker. I'm not sparkling either... _

Jaune didn't know if should have been relieved or not. For one, he could blend more easily and not reveal himself to anybody. Two, Jaune didn't combust and end it right there. He wasn't sure which he liked better.

He sighed heavily, relaxing his body as another bout of stress melted off him. It let Jaune focus, but only for a moment.

As he gathered his thoughts, a faint humming met his ears. It was a girl's. She yawned, cutting her song off.

"Hey, Zwei," the voice spoke up.

A dog barked back at her.

Jaune stepped out of the window and back into the darkness. The last thing he needed right now was for Ruby to open her window and get an eyeful of Jaune. Or even worse, her sister. Neither would do well to bolster Jaune's reputation.

_Okay, we need to get dressed and head out. Ruby should be close to getting done. _

[Kitchen]

Jaune waltzed down to the kitchen, trying his best to act normal. He felt normal, a little stressed out, but was alright. The random bouts of thirst stopped for the moment. Jaune knew the reason why but wasn't going divine the secrets to anybody else.

It was probably due to him drinking blood last night. Jaune had those episodes on that Monday, and the thirst became stronger leading up to it. That satisfied whatever vampiric cravings he had, and now Jaune felt normal.

At least as normal as you can get since his body took control of itself and killed a man. However, while that death was not on Jaune. It still remained on his conscience.

"Hey, Jaune," Saphron chirped, turning to face him.

His older sister was holding a frying pan with a bunch of sausage patties in the centre. About four or five in total with another dozen or so on a nearby plate.

Inside the pan, grease popped and bubbled, splattering small droplets on the stovetop. The unmistakable smell of frying pork wafted up and to Jaune's nose. Smoke rose to the ceiling, drifting out of the nearby open window.

"Hey," he replied, sitting down at the bar.

Two of his other sisters were already sitting down. Blanche and Rouge. The older eighteen-year-old was teasing the latter twelve-year-old child. Which caused Rouge's face to flush red out of embarrassment over something. Jaune didn't really care about what she said.

As Jaune sat down, however, Blanche's attention was drawn over to him. The platinum-haired blonde snickered and leaned around their younger sister.

"Jeez, rough night," she teased, obviously making an innuendo. Her shit-eating grin was enough to figure that out.

_Fuck off, Blanche!_

"What about it," Jaune asked in response, stifling his annoyance.

"You look like crap," Blanche declared, proudly. "Somebody sure put you through the wringer."

_Oh yeah, a lot happened last night my dear sister. I realised I'm a blood-sucking parasite who killed some guy in a blood-lusting psychosis. I'm a vampire by the way. How are you?_

"I felt sick last night," Jaune answered calmly, shrugging his shoulders. "So, I decided to go to bed. I'm fine now."

That should have been enough to throw Blanche off his trail. Just playing of her teasing and not giving Blanche a reaction would have been enough. Jaune had played this game before.

Blanche huffed and turned back to her food. "Boring..."

"Toast it is then," Saphron asked Jaune, sliding him a plate with a slice of buttered toast.

She must have figured that Jaune would have wanted something light for breakfast. An abnormally unhealthy and greasy breakfast would have been an awful choice if his stomach wasn't up to it. At least someone cared for his well-being.

"Yeah, thanks," Jaune said, grabbing a nearby knife and a jar of jam.

While he was putting some toppings on the slices of bread, Jaune looked over at the small T.V. resting on the counter-top. It was turned to the news, playing the broadcast on a moderate volume, which was loud enough to hear if he focused on it.

"Welcome, this is VNN," the newscaster, Lisa Lavender, began. "This morning, the body of Charles Wallace was found in an alleyway in downtown Vale. Police described the initial scene as if it, 'Were an attack by a deranged animal.'" She paused for a moment. "The Vale City Police Department has begun an investigation into the murder as of this morning. Mr Wallace was a prime suspect in a series of serial killings in Vale and along the California coastline. No further comments have been made as to whether or not this was an instance of revenge or an attack by an unrelated killer."

A picture of the man popped up in a small window in the top left side of the screen. A simple line-up, dark skin, and a set of familiar baggy clothing. It had to be him.

_Holy shit... They're talking about me. What if I left something behind? That would lead the cops straight to me! _

Jaune stood up and grabbed his bag. The piece of unjammed toast was quickly devoured right before the boy made his way to the front door. Nothing else mattered except putting some distance between himself and the house.

"You heading out," Saphron asked.

The boy spun around and put on his best doofus look.

"I realised Ruby, and I have to work on homework," he explained, lying his ass off. "So, I've got to go find her really quick."

"Okay, see you later then..."

[Outside]

Jaune left the house, shutting the front door behind him. He looked around for Ruby if she suddenly decided to magically appear in front of him. Luckily, she may have been running late today, which Jaune was glad for.

Last night he had only been carrying his Scroll on him and a wallet. Checking his back pocket revealed the wallet to still be there and not up in his room. He grabbed the leather billfold and opened it up to examine the items within.

_I.D., debit card, driver's licence... _

Everything seemed to be in place. Anything that had his identity on it at least. He wasn't wearing his work uniform either, so that should still be intact.

_Okay, any evidence I left behind can't lead the cops to me. I don't think they have my DNA or anything they can use. I just have to play it cool. _

Jaune sniffed as a scent wafted into his nostrils.

It was a familiar smell. One of strawberries. Another smell also hung in the background. Blood? The sweet aroma was the same one he found on that Wallace guy from last night.

He turned around to find Ruby standing a few feet away from him. His best friend was running to catch up with him before he could head off to school. It was a picture that reminded him of pretty much every day of the last three months.

"Hey," Jaune called out, waving with his right hand.

"Hey," Ruby said back to him breathily, waving with her left hand.

As that hand went up, Jaune could see a large bandage on her index finger. There was even a small patch of blood seeping through the gauze and latex strip. It had to be where the smell was coming from.

Jaune felt his eyes shift to their other form at the sight of the blood. It didn't feel like anything, but he knew they changed in that instant. A natural reaction to a predator seeing his prey.

_Fuck-Fuck-Fuck-Fuck-Fuck_! _NOT NOW!_

He quickly turned in the direction they were supposed to be walking in. Jaune had to keep Ruby from seeing his eyes or his cover would be blown. That was supposed to be the entire point of today, and he was already fucking failing at it.

"So what happened to your hand," Jaune asked, trying to keep himself in check.

_Come on! Go away vampire eyes! I don't need you right now! _

"Oh this," Ruby said, holding her hand up so she could look at it. "I was cutting up some strawberries yesterday, and the knife slipped."

_And you just happened to do this when I realised I was a vampire... Actually, scratch that. I know now, and if it happened a few days earlier, I might have hurt her. _

The thought was scary. If he had lost control at any time before he ran into a suspected serial killer, then Jaune would have made a big mistake. Luckily, Mr Serial Killer had the smell of blood on him that set Jaune off at both the right and wrong time.

Jaune hissed, "Ouch, that had to hurt!"

To him, his tone sounded pretty bullshitted, but it was the best he could do. Jaune was not in the mood for these bits of conversation between himself and Ruby. However, he needed to keep up with the act.

_At least I know blood will set my vampirism off... I can work with that. _

"Yeah, it stung," Ruby agreed, pressing her thumb against the bandage. "Kind of like a paper cut, but deeper."

_Oh, I know that feeling... My shoulder hurt like a motherfucker after I got stabbed._ Luckily, he couldn't feel it anymore.

"You probably cried," Jaune teased.

"I did not," Ruby shouted in reply, pouting and turning away from him.

Jaune let out a light snort. His eyes shifted back to their normal colours moments later, allowing Jaune to feel some relief. At least his cover remained solid.

Just as things quieted down, Jaune heard something moving behind them. It was too subtle for a human to pick it up - maybe a faunus if they had an extra set of ears, but he could easily hear it.

_I hear you..._

One step forward lightly on their toes followed up by another, resting on the ball of their feet. Too light to be a man's unless they were some sort of ninja. Whoever it was, happened to be small enough they could move around so quietly without being heard.

It had to be a woman. Maybe around one-twenty to one-hundred and thirty pounds. Not very heavy, but not a featherweight like Ruby. It couldn't be Nora as she was not very stealthy unless she was doing something ridiculous. Blake wouldn't be creeping about like this either.

As their stalker approached even further, Jaune got a whiff of her scent. Lavender. The light floral scent was a bit stronger than the more fruity one that Ruby possessed. More concentrated was a better term. There was a lot of it on the woman.

She soon moved closer to the pair, gaining the ten or so feet between them and her. Jaune could hear her breathing coming through what had to be a shit-eating grin. Her steps were almost silent now and in pace with Jaune's louder ones.

She was almost a foot behind them now. Jaune could hear her raise her right hand up into the air.

The stalker leapt towards Jaune's back, bringing her right hand down on is head. In turn, Jaune reached behind him and snatched the girl's hand up before she could touch him. He clamped down around her wrist hard, preventing her from running off as her plan had been foiled.

"Huh, nice reflexes," she complimented him casually. "Get a lot of use out of that hand?"

Jaune blushed hard at the comment. It was even worse knowing who it was.

"Hey, Yang," he said in a monotone voice. Jaune still had a firm grip on her right hand. "So, what were you doing?"

"Eh, just gonna mess with you guys," she replied, maintaining her tone, skipping around to Ruby's side. "Especially since my little _sister n_ever came to wake me up!" Yang grabbed Ruby's head without warning and started driving her knuckles into her hair. Quickly the smaller girl's hair began to come undone and messier than usual.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow," Ruby repeated herself as she struggled to get out of her grasp.

This was normal for the three on an almost daily basis.

Yang Xiao Long was the older half-sister of Ruby Rose. The more popular, extroverted, and less socially awkward sister. The party girl if one took a glance without delving very deep into her.

While Yang was one of Jaune's friends, she was Pyrrha's best friend. Blake's too. The former two of the three were both on the track team, did power-lifting in the winter, and were both cheerleaders in the fall. Suffice to say, she was probably the most well-connected person among the Beacon students. Pyrrha as well, but not as shy.

Witty, smart, strong as hell, and charismatic to a fault. Yang could basically run circles around Jaune and pretty much every other guy at Beacon. She usually did, and he was at the receiving end of most of her teasing.

It was even worse when he was with Ruby. The blonde teased both of them endlessly much like Blanche would. Innuendos aplenty.

Yang was also very defensive around Ruby. It was something Jaune admired about her since she was very caring for her younger sister. Jaune also had little siblings that he could barely stand up for, but both blondes did share that one thing besides blonde hair.

Aside from all that. Yang and Jaune were outstanding friends. Her younger sister was the cause of that, which also brought Ren and Nora more friends after he met them.

Yang eventually let go of Ruby, allowing her to fix the ruffled mess of black and red hair. The victim of the travesty mumbled and grumbled as she reached up and pushed down the locks and set them back into place as neatly as she could.

If the two were in opposite positions, Yang would be passionately fuming over the destruction of her gorgeous mane. However, in the end, turnabout is fair play, of course.

"You know, I really wish you hadn't crashed your bike even more now," Ruby growled harshly at the blonde. "Then I wouldn't have to deal with you until I got to school!"

Yang laughed, "Hey, it's not my fault that asshole hit me!"

A few weeks ago, Yang was riding her bike back to her house when another driver pulled out in front of her. As a result of the other driver's negligence, Yang was thrown from her bike and landed pretty hard on the concrete. However, she was barely injured during the crash and managed to walk away, knocking out the other driver in a bout of rage before she was taken to a hospital. The only injury she received other than some bruising on a good portion of her legs and knuckles; was a sprained ankle that required her to use crutches for about a week.

Unfortunately, her Bumblebee was totalled. The bike had pretty much been fused with the front left side of the vehicle and was lost. However, insurance was still doing their thing, and she would not be getting a new bike anytime soon.

Hence the reason why she was walking with Jaune and Ruby for the foreseeable future.

"Good point," Ruby sighed, running her hand through her hair once again.

Yang reached up with her right hand, grabbing it with her left and stretched her lats out. "Besides, what are you guys doing today," she changed the subject.

"Homework," Jaune answered. "I'm still pretty far behind on things."

_As if becoming a vampire didn't set me back any farther than I needed to be!_

"Eh, sounds boring," Yang dismissed the idea. "I'm probably going to find Blake or P-Money, and hang out with them. Leave you two lovebirds alone!"

_WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!_

[Beacon]

The trio finally arrived at the academy about an hour before school started. Other students were walking up to the front gates along with them while some were being dropped off by their parents. The wealthier students had a chauffeur or some shit like that.

_Okay, Jaune, there's a lot of people around, keep yourself under control. We can't have an episode here. _

He looked up at the massive compound before him. A very intimidating sight, indeed. It almost resembled a gothic-esque castle. Some fortress out of a fairy tale. Possibly even more terrifying, knowing that other vampires could be traipsing about.

Some of the wealthiest and most influential people in all of Vale or the U.S. went to school here. The brightest too. Someone had to know about vampires. At least, they could tell him something useful.

But who else would know?

It wasn't like Jaune could simply walk up to anybody and ask that type of question. They would laugh in his face or really think he was joking. Some might even think he was insane.

There was also the possibility of vampire hunters. However, Jaune didn't know if there were any around. Or if anybody was actually looking for vampires.

Still, he would not risk exposing himself. Even his friends couldn't know about this. Jaune had no clue how they would react. This was a secret that had to go to the grave.

Heading towards the front gate, the density of students increased to the point they were standing shoulder to shoulder with many of them. Ruby was practically stuck to him.

At an academy like Beacon, many of the students were very particular about their studies. Some were the type to obsessively cram for the next for hours on end. Some were average like Jaune and didn't need to show up hours before. Others were athletes or had clubs that required them to be in attendance early. Hence the reason why so many students were here at seven in the morning.

"There's Blakey," Yang said in dark tone. She then turned to Jaune and Ruby. "Catch you guys later!" Her tone turned bright and cheerful.

The blonde then wandered off in the direction of her prey. A black-haired cat faunus was stepping out of a nice-looking vehicle with her back to the crowd. She wouldn't know until it was too late.

"So, ready to go do this homework," Jaune said in a peppy voice.

"Yep," she chirped back. "I think I'm actually getting better at this stuff too!"

They were.

Two heads that had academics on the mind were better than one. Each was helping the other with their misunderstandings when it came to the subjects they were studying. Thusly, both were more efficient with their school work. Especially when they had been doing this for the last month or so.

The pair made their way to the library so they could get some work done. In the lobby, the ridiculous amount of students thinned out enough, so they could move around freely. Just a few groups were hanging out or the odd loner who was doing their own thing.

Teachers also wandered the halls, either moving to their classrooms or taking care of errands. Security guards were doing the same thing, keeping an eye on the students to make sure there would be no hooliganism.

A normal day here at Beacon Academy. Despite the issue of a student masquerading as a vampire.

"Oh, hey, it's Weiss," Ruby exclaimed cheerfully, skipping forward into the crowd.

_Weiss..._

Jaune's heart sank at the mention of her name. He stopped walking, paralysed by the prospect of having to see her. Yet, Ruby had run up to the girl.

The world grew quiet and faded away from him. Jaune was a pillar atop a grey ocean of nothingness. It was as if time had stopped itself, orchestrating another ordeal for Jaune to go through. The ashen colour glazed everything around him, isolating him from the other students.

Only two people were untouched by this silence. Ruby and _her_.

His heart throbbed painfully, hearing his best friend talking to the girl who had broken his heart. It beat more rapidly with every second he listened to _her _voice. The voice that played him as a fool from the first time it ever graced his ears.

A pit suddenly formed in his stomach, steadily climbing upwards and into his throat. It rendered him unable to say anything to get Ruby back. A mere warning would have sufficed, telling the girl of their task. But, Jaune's lips would not move, frozen together in a thin line.

He failed to do anything. Jaune couldn't say why exactly. His body had shut down, leaving him at the mercy of entropy.

But Ruby had gone to talk to Weiss. Or she may have sought Jaune's friend out. It was possible she could have been seeking him out.

It was brave to at least acknowledge the Heiress' presence. Jaune would actually have a pair, and not be some wimpy doofus like he had always been. Maybe he could listen to what she said?

He turned his body to face her. Everything in that motion felt so stiff. As if every one of his joints had rusted to the point of being fused together. All creaking loudly like the rusted tin man he had become.

This day couldn't have gone any worse for the boy.

Upon turning towards where Ruby had been, Jaune finally caught a glimpse of _her_.

The girl who had once been an angel to him now stood there bloodied. Her pristine white hair, beautiful pale skin, and what Jaune supposed were the most supple and soft hands that had ever graced Earth were covered in a thick layer of blood. Several weeks old from when she had driven a dagger into Jaune's heart. All because she said _those_ words.

Words that humiliated Jaune in front of over one hundred people. When Jaune asked Weiss to go out, accidentally telling his feelings for the girl at the same time. The reaction he got was much like the very woman he had come bear feelings for.

Cold.

The words that followed were merely another series of repeated thrusts with that dagger. Over and over again. Belittling him for trying his best to convince the girl he liked her. Yet, she didn't care or even think he could have feelings for her.

Now, Weiss didn't seem to even acknowledge Jaune's existence. As if she had completely forgotten about him. The entirety of her focus was on the ravenette standing right in front of her. The Ice Queen's head, nodding up and down, showing her understanding of whatever Jaune's best friend was saying to her.

As Jaune stared at the conversation going on before him, he realised too late that his former crush had turned her gaze onto him. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments, chilling Jaune to his bones.

It was like staring at a rattlesnake. The serpent rattled its little rattle, telling the boy to piss off in the most obvious ways. Yet, Jaune tempted fate, continuing to stand near a dangerous creature like a child that didn't know better.

_**Drink her blood... **_

_**You know you want to do it! Look at that soft skin sitting right there on her neck. You don't even need to try clamping your cock-holster around her throat. It won't take much. She's weak. You're strong. That's the way of the world. She's your prey like any other pitiful weakling standing next to her. **_

_NO! _

Jaune turned his gaze away, abandoning the staring contest that ensued. The sudden urge to commit yet another atrocity like the night before nearly took hold. In front of all these people nonetheless.

He couldn't do it. Not to anybody. Especially not to someone he knows.

Jaune had every right to hate Weiss for smearing his name in front of everyone like the way she did. Crushing his heart like an insect, or even treating him like something she stepped in.

But he couldn't. It wasn't her fault for reacting that way.

Jaune had repeatedly asked for dates, given her flowers, and was stupid enough to try writing a love poem to her. All those stupid pick-up lines and cheesy attempts to get her to go out with him brought Jaune to here.

She got sick and tired of him, and Jaune barely recognised he had been less than entertaining to the girl. Weiss had been patient with him, trying to let him down easily, but he kept pushing her.

As much as he tried to hate her, Jaune truly couldn't. Not enough to kill her for some blood.

But, if his body was going to lash out for blood, Jaune couldn't stay here. He had to go somewhere there were few people.

_My house..._

He could lock himself in his room for right now. Try to understand how to control himself. There had to be a way. Even if he could ignore what his body wanted and overcome the addiction.

He looked back up to where Weiss and Ruby were standing. His eyes once again met Weiss, and she turned her gaze away, not allowing herself to even face him. He heard a short huff as Weiss turned. She said something to Ruby and walked off.

"Jaune, are you alright," Ruby turned to him and asked.

He clearly looked troubled is she was asking him something like that. The girl had been there as a shoulder, much like Velvet for the last few weeks. Likewise, Nora and Ren had offered their support.

"No, Ruby, I'm not," he confessed, trying to keep his emotions in check. "You should go hang out with Weiss right now. I think I've got the hang of the homework, so I'll work on it by myself."

Ruby's expression became sour. It looked as she felt guilty about talking to Weiss. The shirt girl turned her gaze downwards, pulling her arms behind her back and started scuffing her shoe on the floor.

"I-I'm sorry, Jaune," she whispered in an emotional tone. "I forgot you two still weren't talking..."

"It's not your fault, Ruby," Jaune placated her concerns, running a hand through his hair. "Weiss is your friend too, and you shouldn't have to worry about stuff like that. Just go hang out with her, please."

Jaune didn't even give her a chance to reply, leaving to go find some far off corner of the building so he could call his mother.

[Bathroom]

Jaune softly shut the door behind him, trying his best to not draw attention to himself. It was a private space at least. He couldn't smell anybody else or hear anybody over the scent of bleach and water running through the pipes.

_FUCK!_

Jaune punched the first thing he could see. A poor towel dispenser was the second victim of his fury. The small wall piece crumbled under the force of the blow and was sent across the room in multiple chunks.

The door behind him opened up unexpectedly as another person came into the restroom. Jaune turned around to see Sky Lark minding his own business. However, Jaune didn't want any interruptions.

"What are you doing, get the fuck out of here," Jaune yelled at the other boy.

He seemed to freeze momentarily before realising Jaune was serious. Sky took a step backwards away from him.

"Oh shit, sorry," he mumbled, running out of the restroom, wasting no time.

Jaune shook his head, calming himself after the outburst. He took in one deep breath. He let it out. Silence took over once again.

_Okay, let's call mom, and see if she will let us go home. I've got time before school starts, and I'll just say I'm sick. _

He pulled out his Scroll, pressing his thumb on the home button to unlock it. Jaune sifted through his contacts, eventually finding the one he had been searching for all this time. A simple label, saying 'Mom.'

Jaune pressed down on the button. A dial tone started playing. It was a random song Jaune didn't know the name of. Shortly after, somebody picked it up.

"Hey, Mom..."

* * *

_"Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters."_

-Steven King

* * *

**So, if anybody has questions about what is going on between Weiss and Jaune. That will be answered in due time. I hope I did a good job on that part. Enough to make it seem like I described how shitty Jaune's situation is. **


	5. Morgendämmerung

**"Who is the Black Swordsman," Thisdudeintheback questions loudly to an audience. **

**"Kirito, from SAO," some dumbass shouts back. **

**Proceeds**** to pull out glock and caps that motherfucker in the knee. **

**"Now, when I ask a question, I expect the courtesy of an answer," Thisdudeintheback replies in his best Samuel L. Jackson voice, waving around the loaded gun. "Who is the Black Swordsman? I'm only going to ask it one more time!" **

***Crickets chirping* *Somebody coughs***

**"Um, Guts, from Berserk," another man speaks up meekly. **

**A devilish smile appears on Thisdudeintheback's face. "Good man!" **

**Now, I usually don't dog on too many anime, but I had to do this. I'm not exactly a person who watches SAO, it doesn't interest me all that much. I may give it a try one day, but not right now. **

**But, when I hear of some little shit calling himself the Black Swordsman other than Guts. I... I just can't hold back. It gives me a headache that our lord and saviour is being disrespected in such a way.**

**I mean, we don't see Kirito, or whatever the fuck his name is, go missionary style on a demon in the first few pages of his manga. You can't call yourself the Black Swordsman if you haven't done something so badass. Not to mention being impaled and having the shit beaten out of you in pretty much every frame. **

**You can't compare these two. **

**Kirito looks like the type of dude who's spine I would have cracked like a glowstick upon doing battle with. He would end up in the pile I have set up with Edward and Ron Weasely.**

**Guts is simply... Guts. **

**My reverence for this man is greater than my crippling addiction to anime thighs. To have his name dragged through the mud like this... **

**(Now, before any of you diehard SAO fanboys get on my case about this and tear into me, I'm joking. I really don't give a shit about it about some kid calling himself that. Different genres and such. So long as he didn't try to go - full on, one-eyed, chad-tier jaw that looks like a fucking sledgehammer on us. Then I would have a problem with it.) **

**In other news, I finally got this bitch done. I can't believe how long this fucker turned out to be. Almost 11, 400 words in total. My second longest chapter by far. **

**I had to make it this long. I wanted everything to get wrapped up in a single chapter. That means, all the fun stuff if going to be ahead of us. Not as much serious writing in my future for this fic. That's part of what took so long because of how difficult this chapter is due to the content. **

**Recently, I also had a discovery. Like, a finding RWBY for the first time discovery. Because that's what got me into all of this and into anime in general. **

**Dies Irae ladies and gents. You may not have heard of it, but it's on Crunchyroll and it's also a VN. **

**I have only watched the anime so far, and I have absolutely loved it. The dub too. (I'm a dirty heathen.)**

**Some of you may disagree with me. I don't give a shit because I enjoyed it. Just on its own without prior knowledge to the story at all, I think it was great. **

**Because the story is centred around killing Natzis. And what do I love more than killing Natzis? Anime thighs, obviously, but that's a different story. These Natzis have magic on their side and bunch of the Rule of Cool type shit too.**

**I've heard the VN is supposed to be even better, since the anime is a looser adaptation of it, which means I'm probably going to check it out in the near future. **

**The only thing I'm going to take from the series is the incantations the characters use in their spells for summoning weapons. I'm going to write my own, since I don't want to use pieces of actual poetry like they did in the story. They'll be a play on the style used by the characters for the purposes of this story, however. I'm not doing the Briah or Atziluth either, because that would take forever to do. **

**Final things ahead. **

**Before anybody nitpicks Jaune's actions in this chapter, remember I'm trying to get all this wrapped up as quickly as I can. Accepting you're a vampire would take months or years for a normal person to get over. That said, Jaune is going to be in an even worse place this chapter. So, understand where he's coming from. **

**Secondly, I'm using a theme for a fight this chapter. You'll know it when you see it. Look it up, and listen to it. **

* * *

**Edit note (1/30/20) Made an edit to a passage of poetry towards the bottom. Made it sound more in line with what I wanted originally. **

* * *

**Go forth, you infernal daemon! **

**Spill their blood and sacrifice their souls with every stroke of your blade.**

**Their strength shall only suit to bolster your own.**

**No chains shall bind your profane essence,**

**No power shall subdue you on your conquest,**

**No taboos shall constrain your actions.**

**On the day of your death, a golden valkyrie will descend upon you to bring you to a warrior's paradise.**

**Vahalla shall be the final destination of your soul.**

**Tales of your triumphs will echo all throughout this great hall as your fellow warriors rejoice, waiting for the final battle.**

**However, if one refuses to perish from this earth, and continues on their unholy crusade; they may even usurp the throne of God. **

**Render, the Holy Trinity no more.**

**Sit upon his golden throne, and recreate the world in their own image.**

**The god's own, 'Day of Wrath,' will soon be upon them.**

**For they shall be the ones, who wither to ashes.**

Jaune awoke to find himself hunched over a piece of furniture. He was surrounded by a black abyss. Nothing else around the boy could be discerned as a recognisable figure. Only his breathing and the white noise emanating from an unknown source perforated the silence. Everything was remarkably still.

_Where am I?_

He turned around, trying to get a bearing on where he ended up. Jaune wasn't sure how he managed to get here. The last thing he remembered was him sitting in his room.

"Mmmmhmmm..." A soft murmur came from behind Jaune.

It sounded like a small child's. Some muttering one would do in their sleep if they were talking in their dream. Yet, it only brought the feeling of dread to the boy who's ears that sound graced.

_No... Please don't tell me I killed someone! _

Slowly, Jaune's eyes adjusted to the low light. His vampiric traits seemed to allow the boy to see clearly as if it had been daytime even in near pitch darkness. It was something he couldn't do beforehand.

The room he was standing in was decorated in all manner of items. Small pictures on the walls drawn with crayons, coloured pencils, and markers. Many of whom were of innocent scenes. Toys were prominently scattered throughout the room: on the floor, shelves, and in several bins. A haphazard display of chaos.

He turned around apprehensively, facing the origin of the child's voice. Jaune couldn't bear the thought of having killed another person. But, he had to know if he committed another atrocity. To a child, nonetheless.

Laying on top of the bed was a young girl. She was only a foot away from where Jaune had been standing. Her neck was fully exposed for the world to gaze upon. The covers near the child were ruffled, showing someone had placed their hands on either side of her.

The girl...

She was his youngest sister. Rouge. A ten-year-old child.

_I-I..._

Jaune felt his fangs retract back into his maxilla. A lump formed within his throat, blocking the airway. Chills ran down his spine, making his hair stand on end. His blood froze at the realisation for what he was about to do.

_I was going to kill my baby sister..._

He took a step away from the girl. Jaune had to get away from her lest he murders his own blood. Anywhere away from the girl was safer for her and for Jaune. From a monster on the prowl.

Jaune sensed his body's desire for blood. It turned every ounce of his attention towards the child laying a few feet away. He wanted to tear into the girl like a wild animal.

_I-I can't stay here! _

Invisible claws tore into Jaune's skin, forcefully dragging the boy closer to the bed. Every surface of his body felt like he had been cast into a fire. His control slipping away the longer he remained.

He fled from the room, making sure to quietly shut the door behind him. Jaune couldn't risk someone knowing he had been there. He needed to do everything he could to cover his tracks and vanish.

He turned right, heading towards his room. The door had been cracked open slightly with a ray of light coming through. Where the beast had emerged from its lair.

_I thought I shut myself in... When did I come out? _

It had been earlier in the evening when Jaune planned to control his urges forcefully. It had been the first and only time he tried this. Jaune had not wanted a repeat of the previous night and thought he could somehow brute force his way past this through sheer willpower alone.

He had been foolish to even try fighting this _thirst_. Jaune could barely understand what he was in the first place. He didn't have any right to even think he could control the nature of a monster.

Jaune quickly ducked his room and shut the door behind him. He slammed both hands against the oak panel, sealing himself inside and preventing passage.

_Not my family... Anyone but them! _

He choked on a sob, coming from deep within his throat. Tears welled up at the thought of what he was about to do. Jaune cupped his mouth to form a bulwark, so he would not burst into an inconsolable mess.

_**Blood... **_

_**Blood... **_

_**Blood...**_

_**Don't try to fight what you are Jaune... **_

_**You must slake the thirst... **_

_**The only thing you want...**_

_**Blood...**_

_**Blood...**_

_**Blood...**_

_No, I-I can't... _

He left the door and turned to his room. There, he grabbed a set of clothes, throwing them on as quickly as he possibly could. A pair of jeans and a hoodie would satisfy for now. He didn't think to take anything else with him.

_I have to leave... _

Jaune turned to his door, almost reaching for the knob. Yet, he stopped, unable to move any further. Like something froze his feet to the floor.

_What if I lose it? I can't go through the house... _

If he headed out into the hallway. The smell of blood would lead him to the nearest room. Like a shark to a drop of blood in the ocean. It was exactly like the moment before he killed for the first time.

Jaune turned to the other side of his room. The only other exit was the window. This way, he could avoid his family and put some distance between him and them.

A creature who feasted upon humans traipsed through these woods.

He threw open the hatch leading outside. A simple screen stood between him and his exit. Jaune put a foot to the mesh, throwing it out onto the side yard without care.

He then clambered out onto the sill, grasping the ledge and hanging himself as low as he could. Once he was in place, Jaune let go, plummeting nearly fifteen feet to the ground.

The boy landed hard, tumbling down onto his hands and knees. Yet, he didn't feel any pain from the impact. It was the adrenaline coursing through his veins, keeping his nerves dulled.

He didn't take the time to dust himself off, turning on his heel and sprinting in the direction of the city. The patter of shoes on grass soon turned into clicking on the concrete.

_Don't stop! Don't look back..._

Tears started pouring from his eyes, staining his cheeks and dripping down off his jaw. A flurry of emotions broke through. Greater sobbing and outright crying followed.

Finally, he reached his breaking point. Jaune couldn't hold back anymore. The thought of butchering his youngest sister like a cow was what did him in. She had almost been the second victim to what he had become.

Pain radiated out from his heart. It throbbed, shook with his breath, felt like he had been stabbed. The red-hot knife Weiss drove into his ribs was nothing compared to this. A feeling of sheer disgust and contempt for himself that Jaune hadn't felt in a very long time.

As Jaune tore through his neighbourhood, a familiar scene played out in his head. It was still a blur, yet in reverse order. The second time he had run home, thinking he could find shelter and gather his thoughts. The first time he had taken a life.

It turned out his solace was nothing more than another lie he told himself. Jaune would have only taken another life if he lived, believing it.

His home was no longer safe while he was there. Jaune could not allow himself to remain when the threat of him lashing out once again remained.

He had to run as far away as possible. Where nobody would follow him. Where his secret would not see the light of day.

...

It had been almost an hour since Jaune fled his home. He ended up somewhere near the port district of Vale. Currently, walking on the sidewalk of a busy street. Cars passing by him every few seconds. Not exactly sure where he was right now.

Jaune waltzed along the path of concrete, dragging his feet with every step. His head hung low as to not meet anybody else's eyes. Only focusing on the ground before him. Silent to the world.

He'd stopped running once he entered the city. There was no purpose in attracting attention from anybody else. Someone he knew might have noticed Jaune sprinting through the streets of Vale. He didn't want them to try stopping him. Especially if he was still lusting after blood.

The boy didn't know where he was going. Jaune never planned that far ahead in this situation. He just went where his feet led him. Forward was the only option available to the boy right now.

Jaune himself was in shambles. His heart ached, face stained with tears, and emotionally exhausted. It felt like he was going to drop dead right there. The only thing keeping his body going was his desire to keep moving.

Right now, Jaune's emotions were a complete mess. He would have picked sadness or something else like that, but there were no words for it. Maybe a jumble of several?

_I can't believe I nearly killed her... That voice told me to kill Weiss earlier today too._

_What if I did? Why did I stop? _

_I know what it's like to lose control... But why didn't I kill Rouge? _

With everything that happened in the last two days, Jaune believed he would have killed her. That conclusion came from a sample size of one event, but it was enough to think it would have happened. There wasn't enough information to think anything less. There was too much of a risk to believe it wouldn't have happened again.

Yet, the reason as to why he hadn't torn his sister's throat apart was lost on him. He didn't know if he was thankful for it or terrified because of how close he came to sinking his teeth into her jugular. Either way, Jaune nearly committed an act that would have left him regretting it for the rest of his life.

"Heh, maybe somebody is watching out for me," he jokingly said in a bleak tone, continuing down the street.

_Must be why I didn't hurt my little sister. God's trying to protect his innocent creatures... Too bad, he didn't say I forgot my wallet. _

_Vampires are supposed to be a creation of the devil. It only made sense. In all of the lore, that was their origin. Or some kind of disease. Might explain my luck right now. _

_**Bullshit... Your 'God' can't protect that girl. That was all you. **_

_Goddammit... _

Jaune sniffed loudly and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. More tears slowly started to replace them. They soon blended with the sweat pouring down his face.

It wasn't a good cry. It did nothing to alleviate the emotions stirring within the boy. Just as crying had done something for Jaune when Weiss had rejected him. These tears were just his body's way of saying things were not alright. It acknowledged the possibility of a hopeless situation.

Likewise, his stomach had a bottomless pit inside of it. The feeling of dread was to thank for that. Or maybe it was the fear that came with having to run away from home? Jaune didn't know.

_I can't go back home... If I blackout like that again, I don't know what would happen. _

_Even if I kill again tonight... it will just happen again and again if I try to stop myself. _

Jaune tucked his arms inside the pocket of his hoodie. A gust swept in from the coast, bringing a chill with it. His breath started to condense in front of his face with every exhale. The rest of him felt the breeze as it cut through his clothing.

For the first time in almost a half-hour, Jaune turned his gaze upwards. He looked right to see the urban district of the city off in the distance. A mess of skyscrapers, coming together to form a concrete jungle. To the left, a large suspension bridge cutting across the bay. The superstructure, home to a freeway and rail deck.

_If I'm running away from home, might as well take the scenic route. _

He had nothing on him but the clothes on his back. Jaune's Scroll and his wallet remained on top of his nightstand. He didn't even think to bring those along. There was no time to grab them, he could feel himself slipping away.

Slowly, the streetlamps began burning even brighter than they had before. The gaps between the lights grew even smaller as he approached the bridge. Large patches of darkness in those spaces soon became washed over with light. There was nothing left for Jaune to conceal himself in.

Sniffing again, Jaune caught a whiff of the sea. That salty breeze mixed air pollution from the city. There was even the distinct smell of car exhaust from the road.

He looked up at the sky.

A beautiful full moon hung high above the world. No clouds stood in its way. It was just a clear backdrop with no stars and the lonely moon on stage. Its brilliant silver colour reflected a bright light down onto the city streets.

From the bridge, Jaune had an excellent view of this event. The bright lamps above him did not in any way hamper his stargazing. Coming up to the first tower of four, Jaune had nothing else in his way. No buildings obstructed him, only the clear sight of the distant moon over the water.

In the bay, no ship passed through the waters at this time of night lest they disturb the irradiant moon's reflection on the water. The faint glimmering trail began on the far end of the bay and continued under where Jaune was standing.

That argent image was not a perfect reflection. It stretched across the entire bay into a more cylindrical shape than spherical. Waves tossed and turned below, rippling the broken image even more.

A night like this would have been great for just sitting out here. Maybe with another person while the two just talked about anything and everything. They could stay out here for hours on this bridge. Nobody would think to disturb their conversation.

_Am I really going to do this? _

_Can I really just run away? _

_I mean... I have to. It's too dangerous for my little sisters. Anybody else if they got in my way. _

_I can't let anything happen to them! I'm not a monster - I don't just kill people! _

Jaune leaned against the edge of the bridge, overlooking the bay. He glanced down at his hand, clenching it into a fist. His knuckles turned white as the blood rushed out of his veins and back into his arm.

If Jaune decided to return, nobody would be the wiser. However, if he chose to go through with this, everybody would notice his absence. It wasn't that type of situation where nobody would miss the person. He hadn't reached that point yet.

It would probably kill his poor old mother. The idea her son just vanished one day and didn't say goodbye would do her in. She wasn't a young woman anymore. Her body might not be able to handle it. The grief and worry especially.

His sisters would be devastated. They loved their brother, and Jaune knew that. He was the only boy in the family. They either protected him like their kid brother should be or looked up to him. It would take them months before they got over it and maybe not even then.

It would make Ruby sad. The thought wounded gravely like the rest.

She didn't have many friends and Jaune had been her first one at Beacon. Losing a good friend would cause her to cry. For how long? Hours, days, weeks, months even. He was someone who had grown close to her throughout the last few months. Ruby valued those close to her with the utmost conviction.

It would hurt the rest of his friends. Ren and Nora more than the others. They wouldn't know what to do besides try to comfort each other. Helping Ruby would be their priority. The rest would try to sort themselves out.

This was the damage Jaune was going to cause if he went through his plan. People he was going to hurt. All because someone turned him into a blood-sucking parasite that was forced to prey on the helpless.

They couldn't know the reason why. He never left a note explaining that. It would have been just as hard to come up with a bullshit excuse for running off in the middle of the night.

There was no time to write one either. Jaune could still feel his skin burning and his body aching from the thirst digging its sharp claws further into him. Everything hurt so much. The only way to make it stop was to kill someone and drink their blood.

Jaune let his head fall on his left hand as he slumped against the railing. More tears fell from his eyes, staining his sleeves with their salty droplets. He quietly sobbed to himself as he contemplated the avenues ahead of him.

_Fuck... I don't want to be a monster. _

He swallowed his cries back into his throat just long enough to stand back from the railing. Jaune made his choice. He knew what had to be done.

The monster needed to go away. Lest it remained and continued to hunt those around him, bringing misfortune and pain where ever Jaune dared to tread. He couldn't let himself suffer long enough to figure out a permanent solution, so this was the next best thing.

He took one step forward. Then another, quickening his pace. The third, pushing into a full sprint. Finally, Jaune threw himself with every ounce of his strength over the railing, clearing the steel guard completely.

He only looked once to see where his destination was. Three hundred feet into the water below. It was fast approaching even in the one second he had come over the edge.

Jaune shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable impact.

His body could regenerate from a single cut. But hitting the water at terminal velocity? Jaune's organs would turn into a fine paste. There was no getting back up from this. He would shatter every bone in his body. If the fall didn't kill him, then hopefully, Jaune would drown quickly.

All he could hear now was the wind rushing past his ears. Jaune's hoodie and jeans flapped, slapping against his legs and arms. His hair flowed backwards, being displaced by the air. The boy's face became chilled by the oncoming wall of wind.

He made whatever peace he could. Jaune had so many things to look forward to if it hadn't been for this. So many things he wanted to try. Places he wanted to go. Maybe a pretty girl who thought the world of him.

Three seconds had passed.

Jaune braced himself for his death. He accepted his choice now. It would be for the best. An instantaneous and painless death that gave a final conclusion to this story. A climax and resolution all packed into one.

Silence would follow for the boy. Should he be so lucky to find an afterlife, Jaune only hoped it turned out to be better than the one he was in now. If not that, then an eternity of nothingness awaited him.

The others would have to pick up the pieces. Jaune had done the hard work. It wasn't their life that had fallen apart. They hadn't turned into a vampire. None of them knew what it was like to drink another human's blood without their consent.

Four seconds.

His heart raced out of fear for what was to come. No amount of contemplation would adequately prepare a person for this. Death was final after all. There was just that tiny bit of anxiety that crept to the top. Enough to scare him.

Every fibre of muscle tensed up. Jaune couldn't breathe anymore. His nervous system numbed to the outside world. The boy's mind raced with so many thoughts, savouring the last moments he had left to him. Images of his friends, fantasies he had longed for, scenes from his favourite moments, and above all, a reflection of how he arrived there.

Five seconds.

It felt like everything had stopped all at once. Time froze at that very moment. Jaune could hear his breathing now. His heart beating out of his chest. The cold air on his skin, refreshing and stimulating the mind.

_Am I dead..._

Jaune was afraid of opening his eyes. He didn't want to see where he had ended up. His mind contemplated every possibility. Many of the thoughts scared him to death.

His senses did all they could to piece the scene together. Jaune could hear water splashing. He could still smell saltwater and that ocean breeze. No annoying rays of light shined down upon his eyes. Yet he felt nothing else.

As if he was floating on air. Not laying on the beach or dock next to the water. He was just suspended in a void. The pull of gravity still dragging his clothes downwards, but not his limbs.

He finally opened his eyes.

In front of him or in this case below him was the bay. A black lagoon of swirling water sat a foot away from his face. Some splashed upwards towards Jaune as two waves collided. Not a single drop touched him.

The boy was so tantalisingly close to the water. He could almost taste the salt in the air. Maybe this was where he ended up. His ghost or whatever just floated above the water. Jaune's corpse was at the bottom of the bay by now.

However, he could feel his body suspended upside down. As if someone tied him up there with strings in the same position he had fallen.

He turned his gaze to the area around him. Jaune could see Vale off in the distance and even the port with about a dozen ships laying over there. Beyond the bay, a Coast Guard ship was patrolling those waters.

_Ok, what's going on..._

Jaune tentatively reached out with his hands and pushed himself up. A solid-surface seemed to be where his hands were but was invisible to his eyes. In turn, both of his legs seemed to gracefully fall as he got to his feet.

_I can walk on air... _

He firmly planted his feet on this 'invisible floor.' Jaune turned around a few more times to understand where exactly he had ended up. Everything seemed to fit with his surroundings.

Jaune looked down at his hands. What he saw took his breath away. His eyes widened, dilating to clarify the image of the limb before him.

His hand was no longer in a corporeal form. It was a black vapour - a cloud of smoke from a fire even. Yet, Jaune could still feel his hand was there. All of his fingers moved upon command, and the sense of touch remained.

That's when he saw the bats.

A swarm of them. Flying around Jaune's body, mimicking the shapes of his limbs. Every one of them seemed to phase in and out of this black smoke. They did this consciously, moving at their own will along with his body.

None of the flying rodents had any distinctive features to them. They were just a black mass in the shape of a bat. Some of them even made a chittering noise like the real thing.

_What the fuck!_

Jaune's heart began racing once again. He started having a panic attack, hyperventilating, becoming erratic. The boy freaked out, seeing how his body had transformed into something inhuman.

He took one step towards a nearby island. Jaune wanted to get back to land. However, instead of walking, Jaune was literally thrown nearly one-hundred feet to the islet.

The swarm of bats and the black fog sailed along with his body. Right as he reached the patch of dirt, they simply disappeared, leaving Jaune to plummet back to the earth. He flipped once as he made it, landing on his back.

As Jaune slammed back into the earth, he was sent tumbling for several metres. The boy managed to pull his arms close to his body, allowing him to protect his chest. It did little to defend him as he bounced off the soil with every rotation, landing on various debris. His arms came loose, pulled outwards by the centripetal force placed on them. Sharp yelps left his mouth with every successive graze. Eventually, Jaune slowed enough to begin sliding across the soil as his momentum no longer carried him.

_Owww... _

The wind had been knocked out of him in that harsh landing. His diaphragm contracted and spasmed, not allowing the boy to get a breath in. Every part of his body screamed out in pain from this fall. Throbbing with every heartbeat as his nervous system was set alight.

He rolled over, using the last of his strength to push himself on his hands and knees. Jaune's fingers dug into the silty earth upon which he had landed. Several seconds passed as Jaune did his best to regain his senses.

Jaune coughed once as something got stuck in his throat. Before he could realise it, bile and leftover food rose up as the object irritated his uvula. He made no attempt to stop himself, just letting it happen.

Several more hacks and heaves followed. Jaune once again cleared his stomach of its contents. This time being much more comfortable than the last.

Jaune spat out the rest of foul-tasting substance into the soil beneath him. The taste didn't concern him, he just needed to get the rest of it off his tongue. Small chunks of food were hiding under and on top of the soft muscle.

He took a deep breath, collapsing over onto his back next to the pool of vomit. Most of the pain had gone away by now. The physical pain at least.

_Fuck..._

_I can't even kill myself. How am I supposed to live with this? _

Tears began welling up on his lower eyelids. Soon, they were running down the side of his face, mixing with the soil below him. Jaune used his hoodie to shield his eyes momentarily, tucking most of his face into his elbow.

_I don't know what to do? I don't want to run away... _

_I was supposed to die. They would just find my body, and it would be over..._

He couldn't live with the idea of not giving his friends and family closure. Jaune didn't know if he could keep himself in control, so he didn't hurt them. Killing himself was supposed to be the best thing that could happen.

Jaune didn't dare to even try that again. There was no way he could muster up that kind of courage for a second attempt. It scared him shitless jumping off the bridge the first time.

His body was shaking, reeling from the leftover adrenaline in his system. Small sobs escaped his mouth every time he went for a breath of air. He felt nauseous by the rush of hormones. It made his stomach toss and turn despite having thrown up once already.

Jaune let his right arm fall back to the ground, leaving his face uncovered. As the hand hit the dirt, it touched water, splashing the salty liquid everywhere. His entire upper sleeve became wet.

_Huh..._

He looked over to see the islet he had been sitting on was no longer going to be an island. The water was rising slowly enough to not be of any worry, but he wouldn't be able to stay here for long.

_I should try talking to Dad... He might be able to give me something._

Jaune needed another plan. He didn't have any good ones. Anything that was feasible and didn't require him to try committing suicide again.

Talking to his father was always an excellent way to get things off his chest. It was how he managed to gather the courage to ask _her _out. Yet, that unfortunate event was an anomaly on their track record. This was an entirely different animal.

Jaune pushed himself off the floor and onto his feet. He looked around once to see how far away he was from shore. It was too far to swim to the nearby docks.

_Can I turn into that cloud thing again? _

It allowed Jaune to literally fly for a few feet before it vanished on him. Frankly, it was the only thing he had at his disposal to get back to land. Jaune needed to try summoning it again.

He looked down at his hand, focusing on it intensely. The same way he forced his eyes to transform back into their original colours. Something about it was both unconscious and conscious that allowed him to will his body to perform a change.

Slowly, that hand began dissipating and turning into the black smoke. The first of the bats crawled out from within his arm and began swarming him. Jaune's arm was then encompassed by the fog as the rest of his body began to sublimate.

Before long, every part of his body was turned into his vapour. Jaune took a few seconds to adjust to his new form. It was strange to be like this. It felt different - almost exactly like how his body felt when his eyes shifted colours. Jaune couldn't explain it.

_Ok... Let's see if this works. _

_**Fly...**_

Jaune took one step forward and then another before leaping on the final bound. The boy and the mist were sent up into the air, floating around twenty feet off the ground. Sounds of the bats flapping their wings and chittering followed as they took flight.

He took a glance around him as he acclimated to this new perspective. It kinda felt like he was in some sort of anime where the people can walk on air. But this wasn't some fight scene with magically gifted characters; this was real.

His body was floating for whatever reason Jaune couldn't understand. He wasn't being carried by the bats, nor was he walking up some invisible scaffold. Jaune was simply a flying swarm of bats.

_Off to see Dad now... I shouldn't keep him waiting. _

Another leap forward and Jaune flew off in the direction of the city. A swarm of bats and vapour left a trail as the slowest of them fought to catch up with the bulk of the mass.

...

Jaune approached his destination from above. It was a sequestered place hidden near a forest. The property was dotted with rows of neatly trimmed trees planted every twenty feet. A large wrought iron fence with spiked tips prevented anyone but its only visitor from intruding on these grounds.

The swarm of bats turned downwards, heading to a specific location in this field. As it came close to the ground, Jaune dispersed the mist, landing on his feet. The momentum forced him to compensate, running a few steps out so he could stop himself.

Straightening his posture, Jaune looked around for his father. It had been some time since he last came here. Usually, he went in the mornings or afternoon when he could actually see.

Having vampire vision didn't help when everything was still shrouded in shadows. So, his context clues for where exactly he needed to go was a bit off. Still, he just needed to look around and retrace his steps.

_Where are you at, Dad? _

After some searching in the general area, Jaune found what he was looking for. It had actually been a few feet away from where he landed earlier. Luckily, the road leading through the property marked the directions for Jaune. His memory took him the rest of the way.

Standing a few feet away, was a white stone block. A perfect rectangular cube carved from marble. The edges were a bit weathered but were expected. Some green algae or moss had begun growing on the stone as well. Most likely from the landscapers kicking up material when mowing the lawn.

The grave was marked with the name, 'Nicholas Arc.' The date on the tombstone, May 15, 1974 - October 21, 2018. A simple inscription was written below, 'A loving father and husband who died protecting innocents.'

Obviously, Nicholas Arc, Jaune's father, was the owner of this grave.

His dad was a former marine who served until the early two thousands. Early on in his military career, right after graduating basic training, he met Jaune's mother, a college student. They started dating when Nicholas worked up the courage to ask her out. She said yes, and almost a year later, they got married.

Years later, after Nicholas left the marines, being discharged, he got a job with the Vale Police Department. Already, most of the Arc family had arrived and were a bunch of young children running amock. Jaune's mom had become a doctor, and things were going well.

Jaune's dad quickly climbed the ranks to be one of the youngest detectives ever in the city. However, six years ago, Nicholas got a transfer to a department in Florida that offered a better salary. The whole family moved along with him and left Vale behind.

Then last fall, the family had run out of milk needed for one of their breakfasts. Nicholas left to grab some at a nearby grocery store. About an hour later, the family received a frantic call from one of his coworkers. Their father had been shot.

At the grocery store, a young man, the same age as Jaune, had tried to rob the place. Nicholas had attempted to wrestle a gun from the man's hands, and it went off. The bullet entered through his chest at an upwards angle, directly through his heart, killing him almost instantly.

Jaune couldn't remember how much he cried when he learned his father died. It went on for days, maybe. The rest of his sisters were heartbroken, and his mother was inconsolable. Each dealt with it in their own ways.

When they buried their father, the whole family came out to Vale where Nicholas had wished to be buried. After the funeral was done, they headed back to Florida to pick up the pieces.

Months later, Claire decided to pack up everything and leave Florida entirely with the family in tow. She wanted them to start over in Vale, so they could be closer to her husband's grave and back in her home city. That's where Jaune's story in Vale began.

"Hey, Dad..."

Jaune sat down in front of the grave and pulled a leg up to his chest. He let out a slight sigh, taking a minute to think of something to say. The boy had really been improvising this entire time. He had no script to rehearsed lines to throw out there.

"I'm in trouble, and I don't know what to do," he began solemnly. "I nearly... killed Rouge!" Jaune stopped for a second as his emotions started to boil over.

Jaune had no clue how his father would react if he told him this in person. He couldn't know anymore. Probably stupified at the knowledge of vampires being real or maybe even fear towards Jaune? It could have gone anyway.

"I can't even look at people without wanting to drink their blood," Jaune continued immediately after gathering himself. "There's some part of me that wants to, but I can't!" He rested his chin on top of his knee. "If I do it again, I don't know if I can stop."

Every part of his body right now wanted to get up and head back to the city. He was a predator starved for months on end without a single meal. It took every fibre of his being to keep from acting on his needs.

His body felt like the height of an orchestra. Pounding with every beat of the drums and blaring horns. The strings drew the suspense into a chaotic whirlwind of sensations. Everything was at the mercy of the conductor who remained anonymous to everyone, including the person who had to suffer through this ordeal.

"I know you would want me to do the right thing," Jaune rationalised what would have been his father's words. "Try to come clean about everything and turn myself in. But I don't know if I can do that to Mom." He let out a sigh. "This is coming from the guy who just tried to kill himself. But that would have kept everything a secret..." He shifted his legs, crossing them and placing his hands in his lap. "If I tell anybody, they'll just think I'm crazy. Mom won't believe me unless she sees it for herself. But, it's going to break her heart. You know this!" Jaune stood up, leaning towards the grave slightly.

"Maybe, I can try-"

He paused at a sound off in the background. It came directly from the city. Maybe in the suburbs or closer to the urban district. Quite a distance away, but Jaune could hear it clearly.

The boy focused his senses on just that particular sound. It grew clear as he dialled in on it, and tuned everything else out. Finally, it became plain enough for him to make out the words.

**"GET OFF ME, HELP!"**

It was a woman screaming for help. Jaune didn't know why, but everything seemed to stop at that very moment. He forgot everything that was on his plate for just one moment. Every few minutes or seconds even, another scream followed - another cry, sounding so horrid to Jaune's ears.

"Sorry, Dad... I got to go..."

He leapt into the air, turning into the shadowy mist simultaneously. The swarm of bats turned upwards sharply, climbing to over one-hundred feet in the air. As it reached its climax, the swarm turned again, flying directly towards the city at breakneck speeds.

Jaune didn't know why he was going to look for the source of this scream. Everything that happened tonight wore him down to the bone. Frankly, he really didn't have the energy for this, nor the mental stability. Even his motion sickness was taking a spell on the bench.

It must have been some part of him that couldn't sit on the sidelines and let this happen. It pulled Jaune to abandon the talk with his father in favour of seeing what was going on. Maybe to help the person who was in trouble? That was what his father taught him.

From above, Jaune studied the area where the screams were coming from, trying to locate the exact origin. This area had been a lot like the suburbs around his own house, but closer to the actual city. Like a hundred yards from the concrete jungle.

...

Jaune set down in the middle of a deserted street. He knew exactly where the screaming was coming from. This part of Vale was an almost empty series of developments that had people separated few and far between. That's why no one else had come to the woman's assistance.

But who was attacking her and why? It sounded like two people, not including the woman. Men, from their movements and voices. Yet, their speech didn't indicate they were after anything lewd. At least, that's what Jaune could make out over the woman's shouting.

He turned a corner, approaching the origin of the trio. They were in an alleyway much like the one Jaune had woken up in a week prior. It brought back memories from when this nightmare began. Each of the images from Jaune waking up to him panicking, realising something had happened to him played back in individual snapshots. His tired mind had no wish to relive them, merely ignoring any flashbacks that came forth.

Jaune stood in the centre of the open space before the entrance of the passage. He could see two figures huddling over another, laying on the ground. The woman was crying hysterically, fighting against her attackers.

She clawed at their faces, trying to punch them, get an opening for her to escape. The woman managed to get out of one of the men's grasp but was quickly pinned back to the concrete. The other man straddled her with what looked to be a knife in hand.

**"We got a good one tonight!" **He leaned down and sniffed her neck. **"She smells perfect..." **

Jaune started walking towards the men slowly, flipping up his hood to disguise his face. He was going to try scaring both of them away from her. Being caught with your pants down by your ankles next to a girl in an alleyway was not a fashionable look these days.

But the man was right about her smell. It seemed even sweeter than most other people Jaune had run into. Maybe it was something she was wearing? But how could a regular person sense this?

As Jaune grew closer, another stench wafted up to his nose. It reeked of hostility, making the boy do a double-take. Heightening Jaune's own anger at this moment. Even more than seeing two guys jumping a woman in a dark alleyway.

All Jaune could describe this smell as was some form of mildew. It came off both men in bucketloads. Recently, Jaune had never come across this scent. It was a new sensation, but nothing pleasant. He could only detect it within a few feet of the men. Not like any other person who would have given themselves up just by crossing into a twenty-foot radius of him.

Jaune stepped behind the man holding the woman down. He was right next to the guy, almost two feet from his back. The man didn't even seem to notice his presence.

The boy's anger rose with every passing second as he watched the scene taking place before him. It wasn't the men attacking her that brought this on. But the woman's tears being ignored as they did whatever they pleased to her.

To think there were people so cruel in this world. Jaune would have been naive if he didn't know it happened everywhere. Men like these two were monsters. More than he was. Jaune did not take pleasure in what he had done, but they were.

_Time to put a stop to this... _

Jaune raised his right leg back, cocking his knee towards his chest.

He thrust his foot forward, kick stomping the back of the man's head. A brutal crunching sound rang out from the meeting point, silencing the other parties present.

The force behind the kick was enough to shatter the man's skull with what felt like a light blow to Jaune. He did not intend to go this far - only scaring the man with a love-tap to the back of the head. Jaune had no clue where this strength was coming from, but he was not apologising for it.

The man's head continued beyond the rest of his body. Instead of slumping over, having been knocked unconscious, his neck was flung sharply forward. Bones cracked, tendons snapped, tissue was torn like a piece of paper.

Jaune watched as the thug's head separated itself from the rest of his corpse. The thin tissue holding the spine and skull together snapped like a rubber band. Blood flowed freely from the severed veins in his neck, spurting outwards with every beat of the man's heart. Much of it landed on the woman below.

The head, free from its bodily chains rolled almost twenty feet away with a trail of blood following. All that remained was a short section of the spinal column, jutting out from within his thorax and the shredded pieces of flesh hanging off his neck.

The newly created corpse fell off to the side, spilling more blood onto the ground in a small pool. It twitched momentarily, stopping after a few seconds. That strange smell seemed to dissipate almost immediately.

_Now for the other... _

He turned to face him. The man fell onto his back, dropping the knife. He seemed to be afraid of Jaune. Breathing heavily, sweating, unable to move in the presence of a real monster. Jaune could smell the fear radiating off the man.

_**You thought you were all tough shit a few seconds ago! What happened?! **_

Jaune's eyes shifted colours, and his fangs elongated as he approached the thug. A toothy smile revealed his sharpened teeth, creating an intimidating image to behold.

The man let out a yelp and shielded himself from the vampire. Said creature stopped, having been satisfied with the reaction. Jaune took a step back, waiting for the man to run off.

After a few seconds, the thug stared up at the boy, seemingly unsure of what was happening. He opened his eyes to reveal two black scleras and accompanying orange irises. Those same eyes widened as they met with Jaune's.

_His eyes... _

_He's a vampire... _

Jaune halted as the thought crossed his mind. There were so many questions that came forth at this moment. Every single one of them could be answered by this man. He must have known what he was too.

"You're... like me," Jaune opened up more calmy this time. "You're a vampire too?" He took a step forward with his hand out, hoping to pull him to his feet. Everything that man had done moments ago was ignored entirely.

As Jaune moved forth, the man crawled backwards away from him. He kept fleeing, looking to be having a panic attack, eventually backing into a brick wall. The thug seemed to realise he had nowhere else to go.

"What's wrong," Jaune asked curiously, unknowing of the man's issues.

He took another step, closing the gap. The man stood up, pressing himself flat against the wall behind him.

"Get the fuck away from me," he shouted in fear. His eyes shifted back to what Jaune knew were his true colours. Two white scleras and brown irises stared at him in an expression of horror.

_Woah..._

Jaune took a step back, unsure as to the man's anxiousness. It may have been due to him killing his friend accidentally, but Jaune was only protecting the woman. The man should have been angry or downright furious at Jaune for that. But why was he so afraid of him?

Behind him, the woman was trying to pull herself to her feet. Jaune glanced back, momentarily, to assess her condition. She seemed all right. Just a few bruises on her arms and maybe a scrape.

Suddenly, the man took this opportunity to flee from the scene. Jaune didn't notice until it was too late as he began running off in the direction where the other man's head had landed.

_Fuck... _

He was about to go after the man, but his concentration shifted elsewhere. To the woman standing next to him, still dazed from her injuries. The smell coming off her drew Jaune in. His mouth salivated, spit pouring out from the corner of his lips.

_**Heh... Why not finish the job? She's right there. Why not take a bite to drink? **_

_**All it takes is a little bit of blood, and everything goes away. **_

_I'm not... _

Jaune tensed up, dragging his mind away from the girl. He turned around in the direction where the vampire had run off to. It was enough to force his body to relinquish control.

"You should go home," Jaune commanded to the girl weakly. "Don't make any stops, don't tell anyone what happened here, just run."

"Oh - ok," the girl gave a meek response, grabbing something off the ground. A quick series of clicking from her boots followed as she sprinted from the alleyway.

Once she was gone, Jaune focused his efforts on finding the vampire.

He needed to find him. Jaune had some questions he wanted to ask. The boy didn't even spare a thought about the corpse lying a few feet behind him. He was only but a stone on the side of the road. Nothing of significance compared to this discovery.

Jaune took off in a sprint, following the scent left in his trail. It still smelt of fear. A powerful odour at that. Enough to follow the man so long as the smell remained.

...

Jaune whipped around a corner at a full sprint. He momentarily lost his footing, sliding to his right before he regained traction. A nearby wall stopped him from falling, which in turn, he used a launchpad to push off of.

He felt no exhaustion anymore, just a rush of energy at the chase. Jaune had no idea where this was coming from. A few minutes ago, the boy had been struggling to just stand up. Now he felt like he could run a marathon.

_Come on... Slow down a bit. I just want to talk! _

His focus was zeroed in on the man running one step ahead of him. Jaune could hear his footsteps, but could never seem to get an eye on his quarry. The trail of trashcans and knocked over debris gave Jaune an obvious path to follow regardless of the smell.

The reason for Jaune's persistence in this matter was obvious. There was someone else who understood what it was like to be a vampire. He had to have felt the same urges as Jaune did. That constant thirst for blood, dragging him ever closer to attacking his fellow man.

It also meant there had to be others. Both of those guys smelled the same. One could have turned the other, or there were more vampires than just those two, and they each had a similar scent. Maybe there was a group of vampires he could go to for help? Or perhaps a more experienced person on the matter?

Someone had to know something about the need for blood or even the knowledge for a cure to vampirism altogether. Jaune needed that information, especially, if he wanted to live a normal life. If he only had not let the man escape, then Jaune wouldn't be chasing him through a bunch of dark alleys.

The thought of losing him pushed Jaune to sprint even faster, tearing down the alleyways. Scraps of papers got caught up in the displaced air, getting tossed into the air. Jaune's hair was drawn back from the sheer speed at which he ran.

Another corner rounded, Jaune caught a glimpse of the man. Likewise, he turned around to see the boy on his heels. His solution was to knock over a trashcan to make an obstacle. He then disappeared behind a wall leading to a side street.

Jaune lept over the hurdle easily, landing at a slightly slower speed. It didn't matter as Jaune made up for the lost second or two. He refused to lose the Vampire just because of this.

...

As Jaune continued chasing the man, they approached the city once again. The man was now a few feet ahead of him. So tantalisingly close, he could almost taste him.

Jaune reached out to grab his shirt but narrowly missed. The man sped up, running just out of his grasp. A curse flew from his lips as he switched gears, pulling a few more feet ahead. Jaune did the same, forcing his legs to catch up.

The Vampire passed another passage, running towards a busy street. Jaune was going to lose him if he didn't knock him down right now. He needed to do something.

Before Jaune could put any plan into action, another person walked out from the passage. The Vampire passed by him, narrowly missing a collision with him, but Jaune wasn't so lucky. He slammed into the man at a full sprint, knocking him on his ass and sending Jaune tumbling forward, landing on his stomach.

He slid for a few feet through pieces of gravel and whatever trash lay on the ground. For the second time tonight, Jaune had the wind knocked out of him and rendered unable to move. He could do nothing but watch the other vampire run out on the busy street and disappear completely.

His trail was now muddled by the hundreds of people walking around on the sidewalk. There was no way Jaune would be able to find him now. So, much for getting some information.

"FUCK," Jaune shouted, slamming his fist onto the ground.

To say he was pissed was an understatement. Jaune was enraged by this loss. He staked so much on just trying to catch the guy. Yet, Jaune still bungled the job and lost everything. Now he was back to square one.

He needed to figure out his next move and formulate a plan from there. Jaune wasn't sure where he was going to start. Interrogating that vampire had been the only sure thing the boy had going for him.

_I need to think of something... I still can't go back home. I don't know what I'll do if I try._

Jaune was about to push himself off the ground and dust himself off when he felt two sets of hands grab onto him. They yanked the boy off the ground and threw him away from the street towards the interior of the alley. Jaune managed to catch himself and not be tossed on his back as he came to a stop.

In front of him looked to be about five or six guys. The shady looking types. Something that qualified for a street gang in this day and age. Each wore some kind of bandana or signifying mark that told others of their affiliation. In their hands, they each carried bottles of alcohol, seemingly drunken out of.

"Watch where you're going you, little punk-ass bitch," the leader it seemed, a taller male, spoke up, slurring heavily. He paused for a second as he got a look at Jaune. "The fuck is wrong with you?!"

Jaune realised he hadn't shifted his eyes back to their normal colours. They knew something was up, and obviously didn't like what they were seeing. They might have thought he was some kind of faunus.

_Fuck... _

"Listen," Jaune began, trying to start with diplomacy. "I don't want to fight you guys, please let me go. You don't want to be around me, right now."

Jaune didn't have time to be dealing with them. He was on a mission, and he intended to complete it. These guys were just another obstacle in his way.

He couldn't tell them he was a vampire either. It would have been simple to spit it out right there. Yet, Jaune didn't know if they would believe him. They were looking for a fight.

Jaune was ready to turn into the mist at a seconds notice in case this situation went downhill. They would be freaked out, but everyone would be able to leave unharmed.

"He's some kind of freak," another gangster spat with a lighter slur on his lips. The others seemed to agree with him. "A dirty faunus!"

"We don't like your kind here," a third man spoke up immediately, pulling out what looked to be a blade. The rest of the men were starting to get just as agitated, reaching for their own weapons.

Jaune backed up, hoping to vanish into the darkness. He knew where this was going. They didn't understand what he was.

A beer bottle came flying out from the crowd. Jaune brought up his arms to shield himself from the flying object. It shattered completely as it hit his right forearm. Small bits of glass went everywhere, hitting Jaune in the face, getting inside his hood, and even his hair. The spot where it broke screamed out in pain, quickly numbing itself as adrenaline surged forth. It broke his concentration, preventing him from just fleeing.

These men were looking to kill him. It must have been a natural reaction from humans and faunus in the face of a monster. They didn't understand what they were seeing, yet, their prejudices took over from rational thought. In this case, their abhorrence towards another race mixed with their inebriated state drove them to attack.

One of the men charged forward with a knife in hand. Jaune readied himself to attempt dodging the attack. However, in that instant, time seemed to stop altogether.

_**They going to try killing you... **_

_**But you're too weak to fight, Jaune... **_

_**It's always been that way... **_

_**It's how Weiss saw you from the day you two first met... **_

_**Why Cardin fucked with you and did whatever he wanted... **_

_**Why people humiliated you for fun...**_

_**You were too pathetic to do anything about it... **_

_I'm not weak! I don't want to fight! _

This teasing voice inside his head stirred Jaune's rage to a white-hot flame. It knew exactly where to poke and how to make it hurt. Just like everyone that looked down on him.

_**Then show the world you're no weakling! **_

_**Because these guys won't back down... **_

_**They'll just kill you... **_

_**And it would make Ruby sad hearing her friend was beaten to a pulp by some losers! **_

_**Then again, maybe if you ran off - you might run into your little friend and have a snack... **_

_No..._

_**What about your sisters? Try running home, and the same will happen to them. That would just break your poor old mother's heart...**_

_I won't hurt them..._

_**Then embrace what you are, Jaune... **_

_**If you want to protect what's yours... **_

A flash of light erupted from within Jaune's hand. It blinded everyone in the alley, each shielding themselves with their hands. All except for Jaune, who stood there with his arm stretched out. Palm open, containing an object.

In the boy's hand, a fireball had begun taking form. Slowly, moulding itself into shape, changing colours, becoming a solid mass. It elongated into a flattened form, burning white-hot like the fire stirring within the boy. The piece drew itself out, transforming into a noticeable cross shape with a pointed tip.

Finally, it cooled, showcasing the piece that had been forged. A beautiful sword with a blade as white as the moon itself. It almost seemed to glow even in the low light. Shining faintly in the dark alleyway.

Below the razor edge was a golden crossguard. Seemingly constructed and polished to a mirror's sheen by a master. A pattern carved into the guard was simple, yet appealing to the eyes. Same for the pommel as it matched both in colour and design.

Jaune grasped at the blue hand grip. It almost seemed to mould to his hand, conforming to the boy's fingers and palm as if it were clay, yet, retaining its stiffness.

The sword was balanced perfectly. It felt like an extension of his own arm. Jaune marvelled at the pure beauty of the blade before something inside of it spoke to him.

**_My shackles crumbled before me. _**

**_Their chains decaying with a phantom's touch._**

**_I watched as the figure fled into the shadows. _**

**_A sensation left in its wake most astounding. _**

**_Something nary experienced by mortals in life. _**

**_Their touch, their scent, their kiss. _**

**_It all came to me in memory. _**

**_A dream most wonderous, most decadent to the soul. _**

**_Suddenly, the world seemed to reform from this profane darkness surrounding me. _**

**_At that moment, I lost this feeling._**

**_This rapture leaving a scar upon my heart. _**

**_I then promised myself to seek out this sensation,_**

**_So that I may once again feel their grace._**

**_To behold their beauty once again. _**

**_To protect that destiny to which I am seeking,_**

**_I promised that none would stand to oppose me. _**

**_Their wills would wither and rot into dust. _**

**_The strings of fate would even be cleaved in twain. _**

**_This most unholy of benedictions would be given form. _**

**_Crocea Mors. Most blessed. _**

**_Arise and do your master's bidding. _**

Jaune grasped the blade in both hands. He cocked it back, entering the tail guard. Without any notice, it sprung forth, cleaving the man before him into two halves at the waist.

The way Jaune felt as he held this sword was as if he had been wielding one his entire life. He knew everything about swordplay. Each of its more elegant movements: guarding, parrying, and stances. Including how to reply to any attack, whether it be from a fellow blade wielder to a man with a gun.

Such knowledge came from within the blade as it spoke to him.

After it had been forged from his desires. From a need to protect his life from himself. This sword would be the tool to see to that end.

He would become a vampire. It was the only option left to him. He could not kill himself before and wouldn't make an attempt again. Jaune refused to tear himself away from his home and friends to live the life of a vagabond.

He was going against everything he had ever been taught. But who could prepare themselves for being turned into a vampire? No moral lesson could answer that.

Jaune would continue searching for answers, however. He needed to understand what he was and how to control it. Maybe, he could live a new life as a vampire? A peaceful one if he mastered his nature. Perhaps finding a way to make up for his actions.

He would not let his nature get the best of him. Jaune was going to fight to maintain his humanity. Even if that meant having to kill others to satiate his thirst for blood. Such was the cost of this transaction.

The man in front of Jaune fell to the ground in two pieces. His upper half liquidated all of its fluids onto the cold concrete of the alley, intestines spillings out their contents and even entire sections of the tract. The man's legs remained standing, spurting blood from the severed arteries within. It collapsed to its knees after a few short seconds before slumping over.

His friends seemed apprehensive as Jaune stood before them with the bloodied length of Crocea Mors in hand. A cold look on the Vampire's face, contrasting with the burning coals for eyes. They seemed afraid, yet still wanting a fight, unsure of who was going to be next.

_That's one! Who's next... _

Two more gang members stepped forth. One with a tire iron, and another with a chain in hand. They stood there for a moment before sharing a glance and rushing forth.

The man with the chain swung it towards Jaune's face. It was move seen from a mile away. The Vampire quickly stepped backwards, allowing the other man to overextend himself and tumble forwards.

Behind him, the man wielding the tire iron swung towards the back of his head. He held in both hands like a baseball bat, trying to get the most damage out of the improvised mace as he could. An average person would have been killed immediately by a glance from this metal rod.

Jaune reached over his back, parrying the blow from behind. He flicked his wrist, catching his opponents weapon on his sword in a parry. Riposting in the same move, Jaune flung the mace to the other end of the alley with just the blade of his sword.

He whipped around, decapitating the chain wielder with an upward stroke to the left. Jaune then spun back to his friend, grabbing his sword in both hands. He performed a pirouette, slicing downwards, taking off the man's hand in a clean slice.

_Two!_

The thug had no chance to scream out in pain before Jaune twisted the blade in hand, sweeping from right to left, cutting the man's head clean off. A jet of blood erupted from the open wound as face riddled with the expression of pain and terror fell to the floor.

_Three!_

Without pause, Jaune rushed forth towards the rest of the gang, phasing into the black mist. They had no reaction or even words to accompany their terrified screaming. One of the men fell on his back, the others tried to step to the side.

Jaune rematerialised into his corporeal form, thrusting his blade into the nearest body. The gang leader fell instantly, pierced through the heart from behind as he tried to flee. Half of the bastard sword punched out through his chest, easily visible from the other side of him.

_Four!_

Withdrawing the blade immediately, letting his body fall to the floor. Jaune turned to the other man still on his feet. He let out a yelp, falling backwards against the brick walls bordering the alley.

Jaune thrust Crocea Mors deep into the man's chest, impaling him with the sword. The blade did not stop there, embedding itself into the mortar just on the other side.

The thug struggled for several seconds as the last bit of blood spilt out from the wound in his chest. He tried pulling the blade out to find he had no strength left in him. Fell unconscious, he slumped towards Jaune, sliding down the remaining length of the blade.

_Five. _

Jaune yanked the blade from the wall and the body. The corpse fell to the floor, splashing in the pool of blood. He lay prone, motionless, still adding to the ever-growing stain on the floor below.

The last man tried getting up, crawling backwards away from Jaune. The boy, in turn, walked towards him slowly, holding his blade pointed towards the ground. The thug was now hyperventilating. Out of fear most likely, or some medical condition.

He turned over, pushing himself up onto his feet and bolted towards the street. The man quickly gained distance from Jaune. Two metres, four, six. He seemed so eager to abandon the conflict of which he had been the aggressor.

Too bad.

The man never reached the street. Just two feet from safety. A hand reached out from behind him and clamped itself around his mouth, silencing him. Another grabbed his arm, bending it painfully into a gooseneck, preventing any unwanted fighting back.

Finally, before the man realised it, he was dragged back into the alley. Two sharpened points buried themselves into his neck. He didn't know what was happening to him. Soon, his vision blurred. He felt his consciousness slipping away from him.

Jaune dropped the man soon after he died. No more blood was left in his system that could easily be withdrawn. He turned to the other corpses lying in the alley. His bloodlust still needed satiating.

* * *

**Fucking, finally. I can go play some ARK now. I also have a test next week to study for. So great. **

**I also have two unfinished chapters that still work done on them too. For my other stories. I got like halfway done on them and ran out of time so I had to move onto something else. **

**Also, Raven was the Murder Hobo. I think it was pretty obvious. That bitch looks like a vampire. A very thiccc looking vampire. **


	6. A Necessary Lie

**It's ya boi! **

**I'm back once again after being a lazy fuck who couldn't find enough motivation to write anything! **

**Tests and all that good shit. But things should be looking all right for the end of the semester. I think I can get a few more chapters out before finals start.**

**I've also got a profile picture and actually wrote something on my profile for once. **

**But something that needs to be discussed! **

**Jaune's new haircut... DUN DUN DUN! **

**I like it. It's not a bad look, and I've discussed this on one of my other stories about my opinion on it. I'll do so here too. Some people say that they have completely butchered Jaune. I think differently. **

**Jaune is no longer that dork we met back in volume one. He's changed. He's more mature. (A lot more.) He's becoming a more fulfilled Huntsman. It makes him look more confident. He's becoming a full-tier CHAD like ya boi! **

**I'm inherently biased towards styled blonde hair because that's what I'm rocking. (If you want, I can put a picture up so you can see my douchey looking haircut.) So, I may be a bit more lenient about it. I like all of the outfit changes from Vol 6 to 7. The only thing I don't like is Weiss' new hairstyle though. That's the only thing I have to complain about. (I'm also not going to watch Vol 7 until it is all out on Crunchy roll.)**

**In other news, I'm bringing back To Those Who Survived The Fall. It's going to be even more depressing when it comes to Jaune's ****backstory. We'll see him go from a little kid into the scariest man in the world. And I know how I want to do it now. **

**But, onto this story!**

**Things are going to be turning for Jaune. We saw what happened in the last chapter. This chapter serves to cap everything off and return us to normalcy in Jaune's life. I'm also going to start introducing other character perspectives starting with this chapter. Mainly they serve to provide a contrast between what's going on Jaune's world versus their own. Also some character development and relationship stuff since these girls are what is going to keep Jaune grounded for the trials to come. **

**I was going to do a Weiss perspective in this chapter, but decided to save it because it would make this chapter a lot longer and I wanted to keep it short. Maybe next chapter. **

**If nothing else! **

**I'm going back to exterminating the Xenos. I'll see ya later. **

* * *

_I feel disgusting... _

Jaune couldn't help it.

Having to drink blood from a body or _bodies_, in this case, wasn't something he was used to. And Jaune wouldn't be alright with it for quite some time. That's just how things were going to be from now on until he could close off his heart from it. Jaune wasn't some sociopath with a total disregard for other people after all.

However, Jaune made up his mind. Even if his choice made his father, grandparents, and every Arc up the family tree roll over in their graves. They couldn't stop him from wanting to preserve his life. Or what was left of it at least.

So, Jaune did just that. He drank from each of the men he had killed, and with that came both relief and disgust. The former, due to no longer having the thirst on the forefront of his mind. A very welcome feeling now that Jaune had time to think.

It was like taking a swig from a glass of water after working outside in the Mojave Desert all day long. In the middle of July. Multiply the need for water by a hundred, and you might get close to what Jaune felt a few minutes ago. His body no longer tried to drag him to the nearest depository of blood, unlike earlier.

The feeling of control being back in Jaune's hands was liberating. Paired with the refreshing drink he had, Jaune felt like a new man. Just with some extra baggage that came along with it.

All of this created a degree of cognitive dissonance inside of the boy. He had too many feelings to sift through and way too much information to digest at the moment. Every bit of it either contradicted what he believed or what Jaune had always known. Frankly, it left him confused.

Jaune looked down at the scene beneath his feet. To the concrete stained with a dull crimson coating. The blood pooling in a shallow layer as if it had been fresh rain. Moonlight shone against the pools creating an imperfect clone of the celestial body.

Six figures lay partially submerged in the blood. Whatever half lay on the ground was entirely coated with it. Some of them were wholly covered due to their injuries. It dripped off them slowly, adding to the ever-growing puddle Jaune stood in.

The boy in question turned his gaze upon himself, to his clothing. He was very much like his opponents strewn about on the ground in front of him. Every surface was covered in blood. His jeans had splotches running up and down the length of the denim, growing denser towards his feet. While he couldn't see any, Jaune could smell it on his sleeves. He held out his hands to find the gore trickling down his fingers, quickly drying to the surface.

_I can't go home like this..._

Jaune tried wiping his hands to get it off to no avail. The feeling of the blood being kneaded between his fingers was wrong. It wasn't like water. It was just different. Odd in a way that Jaune couldn't put words to. However, it was a feeling that he hated.

_Come on... Get off!_

He continued to scrub his hands in a futile attempt to remove the blood. Jaune slowly grew more desperate as he began to vigorously scrape each of his hands together. It was far too sticky too merely be wiped off with his palms. It only transferred to the next surface.

Jaune looked around for a cloth or something wipe his hands off. The boy spotted a sheet sticking out of a container full of building supplies. As he reached for the rag, Jaune noticed something on his hand.

The blood was starting to fade?

He watched it for a moment as all of the blood vanished before his eyes. Soon both hands became clean as if he had washed them under a faucet. Yet, the blood hadn't dripped off his fingers or merely evaporate into the air like water.

_Did I absorb it? _

That had to be it. Just like when Jaune cut his finger open. Yet, this blood didn't seem to move on its own.

He looked down at his jeans to discover they too no longer had any blood on them. Jaune couldn't feel any it on his hoodie either. He wiped his face and found the blood around his mouth to have disappeared as well.

_So, I can absorb blood through my skin too. That must be why my hoodie and jeans from yesterday weren't covered in blood. Maybe my cells brought it inside? Phagocytosis?_

It was an interesting thought, to say the least. Jaune would have to learn more about it going ahead. Especially where it pertained to his regeneration. Any new information was going to help him.

He looked towards the street, noticing that even for it being late into the night, it was incredibly packed. There was plenty of people wandering about, and any one of them could see Jaune standing atop a pile of corpses.

_I should get going..._

Jaune didn't continue his brainstorming activity, turning into a swarm of bats and flying off in the direction of his house. He needed to make himself scarce for when someone discovered the bodies. Jaune didn't want to start his day with the police breathing down his neck.

[Arc Household]

He landed in the side yard between his and Ruby's house. A light thud emanating out from beneath Jaune's feet as he hit the ground. Surprisingly, the shock from the landing had lessened to a certain degree; no longer being so brutal on his knees like the first few times he tried this. Jaune had learned a little more about how to control his shifting, however; so he would take what he could get.

Checking his surroundings, Jaune found there was nobody in the immediate area that could see him. However, he could hear Zwei causing a ruckus inside of Ruby and Yang's house. His upgraded senses didn't pick up any people outside of the two homes next to him. The screen to his window laid out in the yard, meaning he hadn't woken anybody with his exit either, or they hadn't bothered to move the wire mesh.

It would be awkward for Jaune to hop back through his window only to find his mom sitting there, waiting for him. Something like that would happen. With Jaune's luck, so far, anything was possible.

_Don't think about it, Jaune... You've already had a rough night. Best __**not**_ _to have an anxiety attack, right now._

Jaune bent over, grasping the wire mesh that lay flat in the yard. Holding it up, there was no damage rendering it useless. It was slightly concave from where he applied the bottom of his shoe to throw it out of the frame. However, Jaune would be able to pop it back inside after straightening it out.

With a leap into the air, Jaune transformed into the swarm of bats and flew into the open window. The screen was snapped into place in one swift motion as the remaining stragglers entered through the port. Nothing looked as though it had changed. No evidence to give Jaune's activities away.

_Ok, that's done... _

Jaune phased back into his human form, touching down gently onto the carpet. His movements made no noise, not even creating a squeak from the plywood hidden beneath his feet. The rest was a silent dance around the room as Jaune stripped off his hoodie and dumped it into the nearby laundry bin.

Looking around the room, Jaune's fears were washed away as there was no sign someone had come in after he left. That or they just hadn't moved anything around. Jaune would still need to come up with some sort of excuse as to why he was not in his room at this hour. Just in case he was confronted with it in the morning.

He reached over to the light switch next to the door and flicked one on. With a slight click and buzz, a few bulbs began glowing, allowing for the room to remain dim yet illuminated. Not that he needed the light to see, it was only mere instinct and habit playing out.

His eyes readjusted to the light, slightly blinding him for a moment as everything shifted from clear to obscure. Jaune moved about the room without pause, heading straight to his nightstand where his Scroll lay. The grey rectangular cube remained hidden to his sight, but not his memory from when he left it there.

Taking hold of the device, Jaune flipped it over in his right hand to look at the screen. It was two in the morning. The few hours before fleeing the house were still a bit of a gap in his memory. Without that missing information, Jaune would less able to keep his cover story together. For that reason, he needed to play catch up and see if he was sent anything. Be proactive about it.

Looking through his notifications, Jaune found the earliest one was from about ten at night. That must have been when he blacked out due to his urges or fell asleep. He had been feeling his exhaustion from the previous night going onto the next; however, either was likely and would remain unknown to him.

The rest of the notifications were either minor ones from mobile games or news articles. However, what interested Jaune was the messages from his friends. A series of group chats from the several they maintained.

While Jaune wasn't particularly _close _to everyone in his friend group, he did keep in contact outside of class. In return, they did the same. Except for Weiss at least. The most important of which were: Ruby, Nora, and Ren who were his lifeline to the others. Without them, Jaune would basically be repeating his high school life in Florida all over again. A subject matter that was unimportant at the moment.

Searching through the group chats, most were about homework, plans for this week, and random stuff. A lot of the messages were from Yang, Ren, and Nora. Blake even asked a question or two. Ruby and Pyrrha were either throwing an entire book's work of text into their messages or tossing out one-liners.

_There's not much here... I may be overthinking this. _

As he continued scrolling through his notifications, Jaune came upon a single missed call and voice mail from about an hour ago. It was from Ren. Why he had called him later on in the night was unknown to the boy? They didn't really have anything going on at this time, and Ren wasn't the type to call.

What if he knew? Maybe he had seen something or recognised Jaune while he was out running errands? The boy froze, staring down at the message with a cold sweat beginning to form on his brow. His hands shaking even worse than when he was standing in this very room nearly two hours ago.

Hesitantly, Jaune pressed his thumb down on the notification.

A menu popped up with Ren's number, an audio scrubber, and several other functions. A small circle appeared next to the left side of the bar, showing that the file was buffering. Jaune tensed up even further with every second as watched a small line take revolution after revolution around the circle. It slowly grew to become agonising. He had to know why.

It wasn't Jaune's fault he was paranoid. This was thrown onto him as a safety measure after learning what he had become. If Ren were calling him at any other time, he would be ok with it. However, calling between the gap when Jaune left home and got back was not something he fancied. The call itself could be for any number of things, but the coincidence with tonight's events made it less so.

Suddenly, the buffer ended, and the audio file began playing. Jaune focused in on it as to not miss a single detail.

_**"NORA!" **_

Jaune held his face back away from the Scroll, saving his ears from the incoming onslaught that was Lie Ren shouting.

_**"Quit your whining, Ren," the voice of Nora shouted back just as loudly. "We just got done with our homework because Jaune-Jaune wasn't here to help us! Besides, he's probably still up 'cause he's got so much homework too!" A minor struggle took place on the other side of the call. Jaune could hear a door shut and then silence. **_

_**"Jaune..." the now mousy voice of Nora continued. "When are you coming back to school? It's rough out here with just the three of us you know? I swear if you're not back here after today, I'm going to drag you to school! So, please come back..." The call ended there.**_

The way Nora sounded...

She was worried about Jaune. Her tone told him that much. Nora putting on the serious part of her personality wasn't something Jaune had experienced before. It was always just her near-manic bubbly persona. She was almost always happy. Not like this.

It made Jaune feel guilty.

Here was Nora, waiting for him to come back to school in a day or two, and the boy in question nearly took his own life. How would she have reacted to the initial shock if he managed to go through with it? Crying, retreating back into a shell, or maybe it wouldn't have set in so quickly?

Yet, Nora and probably several others were already worrying about Jaune even before he tried killing himself. His predictions were confirmed by the message. The knowledge of his friend's uneasiness was always known to Jaune. Adding to his conclusion from the bridge, he only reinforced the idea of what would be lost.

Jaune wasn't arrogant enough to think his friend circle hinged on his presence there. Hell, he didn't even know if him vanishing or popping up dead one day would break their merry group of friends up. However, three people close to him would be hurt by Jaune, and everyone else would feel it. So, Jaune merely had to placate those concerns. For his sake and theirs.

_I have to play the part of Jaune Arc... _

All he had to do was go about things business as usual. Jaune Arc was the goofy blonde that was friends with a socially awkward girl and two other weirdos. He was still reeling from getting a harshly worded rejection from a girl he had come to have strong feelings for. One he was still avoiding to save them both from the tense mood given their unfinished business.

Jaune wanted to live his high school life out in contentment. He wished to distinguish himself for his work. Everything he was assigned was done to the best of his abilities. Only slacking off to relieve stress.

To put it quite simply, Jaune Arc was an utterly boring man. A facsimile just as many others who played the same masquerade. A life that perhaps hundreds or thousands had already lived through.

To think anything extraordinary happening in his life was just laughable. To even suggest Jaune was a vampire with access to supernatural abilities was a jest. The boy was another human being. The same as the other billions on this planet.

Jaune Arc was just like any other teenager attending Beacon Academy.

[The Next Morning: Ruby]

Ruby awoke to the sound of her alarm clock blaring into her left ear. With her face still buried into her pillow, she reached over and smacked her hand down onto the snooze button. A muffled grown emanated from within the foam mat as she withdrew from her lethargic state.

The feeling of waking up this morning was not a great one. Ruby was sore all over, her neck was stiff, and she felt like crap. Like the time Yang practically forced the girl to lift weights. She felt like death. Or whatever this was close to.

Last night wasn't what could be considered a good time. As was yesterday. Jaune ditching school and then not responding to any messages Ruby sent him was the reason for that. She was fretting over him the whole night and could barely restrain herself from walking over to his house and demand he talk to her.

"_Ugghh..._"

Ruby sat up in her bed, letting her legs dangle over the edge, but not touching the floor. A breath left her lips as she rubbed one of her eyes. Some of aches and pains gathered from last few hours worked themselves out.

A soft rubbing sound came from the entrance of her room. Ruby looked up to see Zwei pushing the door open with his snout. The corgi created an opening large enough to fit through and dashed over to where Ruby sat.

With a leap, Zwei hefted himself onto Ruby's lap and nuzzled his nose against her. The girl pet the top of his head lightly several times before withdrawing the hand. In response, the corgi looked up at her, cocking his head to the side.

"You know, both of you are real pieces of work, right," Ruby said to the dog in a critical tone. "Why did you start barking last night? I was trying to sleep..."

The dog said nothing back to her, only grunting and smacking his jaws together. Ruby could tell Zwei was only barking because he had a reason for it. However, being roughly woken up at two in the morning was probably the most significant contributor to her 'grogginess.'

"At least you're easy to talk to," Ruby sighed, taking on a more sombre tone. "And I know what you're thinking..."

Jaune, on the other hand, was not. He was not as bad as Ruby in regards to being socially awkward, but he was close, which is what made him easy to become friends with. Thing's were simple when chatting about whatever the two were interested or just hanging out. But things became complicated very quickly when her _other _friend entered the picture. Jaune's feelings for her as well.

After what happened with Weiss, Jaune wasn't really the same. He hasn't even bounced back from it yet like everything else this semester. The boy was still distant and unwilling to talk about what happened. Or even begin to share his feelings. He only discussed some things on the surface level with Velvet and Ruby.

She could only guess how much it hurt him. Ruby even had a hand in creating the disaster which befell the three of them. It stung just as much for her as it did Weiss and Jaune. But there was nothing she could really do to fix the problem. Nothing that wasn't extreme and way out of her abilities at least.

Which is why Ruby wasn't mad at Jaune for anything he had done yet. Same for Weiss, aside from when they first met and after what happened between the other two-thirds of the trio. However, skipping school, ditching his friends, and then not texting anybody back was unacceptable. Jaune was going to pay the blood price for that.

...

Shutting the front door behind her, Ruby turned around to look out onto the street. It was still early morning, and the sun had just begun cresting over the horizon. With it came a warm breeze creeping across her pale skin. Nobody else out on the street or any cars driving by allowed her to enjoy this partially good-morning in peace.

Which lasted only a moment because Ruby was all alone out here. Something she didn't enjoy. It was missing several people and the mood they managed to conjure up with them.

_I wonder if Jaune's up yet... _

Beginning to head down the street and on her way to school, Ruby slowed herself down, passing by her friend's house. A part of her was nervous to see him again after what happened yesterday morning. Yet, she didn't expect him to come to school today either.

The look on his face yesterday just didn't look like "Jaune." All the colour was drained from his skin and eyes. His expression seemed to be more akin to a walking corpse than a living person. It was like he'd seen a ghost or some sort of indescribable monster that scared him to his core. Jaune might have gotten sick seeing Weiss again, or his body might have finally decided it was done feeling well today.

It was odd because Jaune looked fine only a few minutes before. Ruby didn't understand how something like that could change a person's condition in such a short period. But Ruby never suffered from a broken heart, so such a concept was foreign to her.

Maybe she needed to be more considerate when going to sit with Weiss during lunch or talk to her in the halls? If Jaune couldn't be around her, then Ruby didn't want to unintentionally hurt her friend by not thinking things through; but Jaune said to not worry about what was going on between him and Weiss. So, she was stuck.

Compared to what Jaune was going through, Weiss' problems were about as confusing. Ruby didn't even know where to begin with her. It was a wonder how these things didn't show up earlier in the year.

"Hey, Ruby," a masculine voice called out to her. His nervous-sounding tone told Ruby the identity of the person standing to her side.

The girl in question realised she had been staring at the ground for an indeterminate amount of time. A slight blush crept up her cheeks due to the embarrassment of having been caught unaware by Jaune. Especially when she was lost in her head.

Looking up at the boy, Ruby noticed that he was in a much better condition than he had been yesterday. The colour had returned to his face and seemed to be more saturated than it had ever been. His composure was more laid back than it usually was as well. He was undoubtedly feeling better from her perspective. A light smile capped it all off, cementing her conclusion.

Before anything words flew from the boy, Ruby cocked back her arm back, slugging him several times in the shoulder. Every blow came with all of her strength packed behind it. Each thud and slap from their meeting point confirmed that her punishment was being carried out.

"Owwhowhow," Jaune whined with every blow to his shoulder, he brought an arm up to block one but instead found Ruby's fist connecting with the limb without hesitation. "Hey, what gives?!"

"What _gives_," Ruby repeated his question in an angered tone, withdrawing her arms back to their sides. She clenched his fists hard before staring back up at the boy. "That's supposed to be _my _line, you know?! And what's the big idea, leaving school yesterday without telling anybody?! You ignored me too when I sent you like a bajillion texts asking what was wrong?!"

Jaune's expression shifted from a confused to a more nervous/guilty one. He seemed to realised what he did and was trying to think of something to say. Whatever it was, better have been good or she would rip into him again. A move that Weiss would have definitely been proud of a few weeks back.

"Uhh, what's going on here," another voice called out from behind them in a quizzical tone. Ruby turned around to see Yang standing there with her bookbag slung over her shoulder. She looked equally confused as Jaune had when Ruby started laying into him. "Never mind; actually, it looks like a lot of 'not my problem.'" With that, the older blonde started heading down the street, leaving the two friends to duke it out alone.

"Yang, help me," Jaune shouted for her as the blonde strode past. "This is an abusive relationship! She's beating me!"

"Sorry, Lover-Boy," Yang yelled back, rolling her eyes. "You dug yourself a grave. I don't want to get thrown in there with you."

_Good... _

Ruby waited for Yang to be out of earshot before she turned back to Jaune. "Now, Mister," she began, poking him in the chest. "What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"Uhhh, I'm not really sure..."

"Maybe a 'S_orry, for not saying anything,'_ would be a good start," Ruby interrupted him in a firm tone. "Because leaving school without saying anything to your friends made all of us worry about you!"

Now she needed to pound this lesson into his thick skull on the way to school. Maybe it would stick if Ruby found one of the other girls to help her out with it? Weiss was obviously off the table right now. But Ren and Nora were also fretting over the boy as well. So, they might have something to say to him. She could get help from them.

"You're right," Jaune confessed hastily, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I'm sorry! I should have texted you guys when I left..." He glanced off to his right, avoiding her gaze.

"Good, at least you are owning it," Ruby continued her inquisition, turning to begin walking down the street. "But are you feeling better now?!"

Even though he looked fine, Ruby wasn't sure if Jaune was _fine. _Appearances could be deceiving after all. The girl did have some insight into how Jaune was doing, but nothing beyond superficial observations.

"Is this about Weiss, or me getting sick," Jaune asked in response, not sounding like he wanted to talk about either. Ruby would understand if he did not feel like talking about it. Weiss was the same when it came to that topic.

"Both..."

Ruby felt like she was treading on thin ice here. If Jaune didn't feel like talking about it, then she wouldn't press further. He would share it with her when the time came.

Jaune let out a long exhale, seemingly gathering his thoughts. "Look, Ruby," he began, carefully picking his words. "What happened between Weiss and I really upset me. She's not my favourite person right now, and I would like to keep some distance between us." He paused for a moment, running a hand through his hair. "When I saw her yesterday... I froze and couldn't move. It felt like I was going to repeat her rejecting me all over again. Then I started having a bad headache, because my rotten luck, of course. So, I left and didn't talk to any of you guys because I wasn't feeling up to it..." Jaune drew in a long breath. "There, I'm done monologuing. But I'm feeling _better _than I was yesterday, just please don't pry into it."

Ruby was glad he got that off his chest. Jaune at least admitted that Weiss rejecting his feelings for her hurt him. He hadn't ever confessed that part, only Ruby, Velvet, and pretty much every other person at Beacon could see it on his face. He wasn't lying about how he felt like he had once before.

"Well, that's good," Ruby said in a more solemn tone. She looked back up to him before continuing. "But you really can't skip school like that anymore! Your grades are already slipping! And don't make me get Pyrrha to talk some sense into you. She's known you for longer, and she'll make it stick." Her words turned the heavy mood into a more bearable one.

Ruby knew Pyrrha could break the will of any knuckleheaded friend who refused to comply. If not through force than through words. Jaune would have no choice but to accept.

"Oh, no," Jaune cowered in fear comically. "Please don't sic Pyrrha on me! She's too polite; it's almost painful!"

"Nope," Ruby said with a devilish smile. "You need to accept your punishment!"

[Beacon Courtyard: Jaune]

Jaune couldn't ask for things to get any better then they had this morning. He knew Ruby was going to tear into him, but accepted it, allowing her to get a few slugs in as well as the lecture. After her inquisition ended, things lightened up and went back to how they used to be between the two. Telling each other bad jokes, talking about video games, and best of all... comic books.

Frankly, his mask was doing its thing. Ruby didn't seem to notice anything wrong. The girl was good at seeing through any falsities and would say something if she had. Not to mention that Ruby hated liars.

He only lied once to Ruby so far. Anything connected to him being a vampire would have to be. Jaune would have to _twist _the truth to suit his needs. Being forthright about nonrelated subjects would get his friends off his back and more receptive to his facade.

But it was a necessary evil. One that Jaune was going to burden. Something that couldn't be rationalised away by saying it was to protect others. He wouldn't dream about doing that for a second, even it was the reason for every act. It was wrong.

However, a single day wasn't going to let Jaune grow into this new role he conjured up. He felt nervous as all hell talking to his friend when he should have been relaxed and calm. 'Growing pains' if a term could be applied. A few stumbles here and there were expected.

While these thoughts sifted through his mind, Jaune took several glances at the scenery around him. Just like yesterday, today was playing out in the same way. Every day before the last was seemingly unchanging and nostalgic. The most significant change Jaune could see was to him.

He would have preferred this content repetition over the new feeling of walking up to school with Ruby. One that was almost foreboding. Jaune had never experienced this constant dread. This fear of what was to come. Last night that feeling had been pretty clear to him, emerging for the first time in his recent memory.

_I shouldn't be thinking about things too hard, it'll just wear me out. Just play it by ear... You want things to go back to normal anyway._

As Jaune tossed the thoughts to the back of his head, he heard a rapid series of footsteps coming up from behind him. Somehow he hadn't heard them sneaking about and was caught by surprise. Jaune couldn't turn around before whoever was running had collided into him.

The mystery person slung their arms around his neck and hefted their entire body onto the boy. Jaune had to steady himself as the remaining momentum nearly toppled the two over onto his front. As he planted his feet, a chin, neck, and upper chest of a woman rested against the back of his head. The point of the jaw, digging slightly into his skull.

"_JAUNE_ YOU'RE BACK," the person shouted into his ear in a sing-song tone, causing him to wince and clench his teeth together.

After regaining his senses, Jaune noticed the smell wafting off this woman was a mildly sugary one. Maple syrup primarily coming off her breath. Anything else was a rather pleasant and familiar one. Jaune didn't need very much to figure out who this woman was.

"I'm glad to see you too, Nora," Jaune said dryly, acting as if he was slightly annoyed by her entrance. He really wasn't.

Nora Valkyrie. The other half of the other pair among Jaune's closer group of friends. A bubbly and almost boundless girl whom Jaune met on the same day after running into Ruby. Becoming friends with the ginger was practically required when she volunteered herself and Ren to show Jaune and Ruby around Beacon.

"Of course you are," Nora ecstatically reinforced the idea without batting an eye. "It's been ages since we last saw each other! Oh, how we've missed you!" She squeezed him a little tighter, almost how one would to a dog after coming home from a vacation.

Jaune snorted at Nora's unending enthusiasm. He would share the feeling if he had an ounce of her insanity sprinkled onto him. Then again, it probably wouldn't be enough to match her energy.

"Ok, Nora," Ren said, coming in from Jaune's left side. "I'm sure Jaune doesn't mind carrying you around, but you should probably get off of Jaune before Ms Goodwitch throws a fit."

Lie Ren. The perfect foil to Nora's madness. He was pretty much along for the ride with whatever she came up with. How the boy managed not to become insane in the mere presence of Nora was beyond Jaune's comprehension. Luckily, Ren and Nora shared many of the same interests with Jaune and Ruby, so their friendship came easy.

The other, less crazy, part of pair threw a slight nod towards Jaune. He could see the entertainment in his eyes while watching the scene play out. Had they not been at school, Jaune knew Ren would let this continue until Nora inevitably became bored or Jaune couldn't carry her anymore.

"Awww," Nora whined. "You're no fun, Ren!" She hopped off and threw on her most adorable pout. "How can I be the queen if I can't ride my steed into battle?"

Ren had no response, rolling his eyes in an almost comical manner. "But it is good to see you back, Jaune," he said, turning to face him.

"Yeah, and don't worry about Weiss," Nora added on. "If she tries anything today, I'll break her legs!" She emphasised this by slamming her right fist into her left hand. Several of her knuckles cracked and popped rather loudly.

_Ohh, no... _

"Please don't," Jaune said, meekly raising his hands to show emphasis. "I don't want to drag you into my problems..."

_I also don't want any attention drawn to me. Nora, getting expelled is also a bad thing._

"Jeez, it's not like I'm _mad _at her or anything," Nora said with an almost sadistic undertone. "It's just when one of my best boy-friends runs into the girl who snapped his heart in two and then leaves, saying he's sick. I have to think she's done something to hurt him, so I'll just return the favour..." She was about to wander off to go hunting, but Ren grabbed her wrist, preventing her from causing any chaos.

_And she knows about that too... Nevermind, this day blows. _

"You guys heard about that," Jaune replied, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I'm guessing like half the school know's now?"

Not that Jaune really cared at this point. Frankly, anything wasn't really a concern beyond concealing his vampirism. But the side of him still connected to his old life felt that embarrassment. It also made him feel really self-conscious about his appearance.

"Who cares," Nora scoffed at the idea. "Ruby told us in Dr Oobleck's class, but I don't think anybody else knows."

Jaune turned to Ruby who seemingly found an object off in the distance very interesting. Before he could say anything, the dam broke.

"I'm sorry," she confessed with a deep exhale. "Nora asked where you were, and I told them what happened."

Jaune wasn't angry at her for that. Not by any means. It was better that she relay the news and take the responsibility of his shoulders. More than likely, Ruby had told Yang about what happened too, but

"Eh, it's fine," Jaune said, waving it off. "Nora would force me to say it anyway." Ruby seemed to relax at Jaune's forgiveness.

"Jaune's girl problems aside," Nora interjected once again. She turned and poked him in the chest. "I think someone has some catching up to do because he decided to ditch class and us."

Jaune felt a cold chill climb up his spine. He couldn't move to run away as Nora grabbed him and started dragging him inside the school. The Vampire offered no resistance, glancing back once to see an oddly satisfied looking Ren and a giggling Ruby in tow.

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**Ending this chapter on a lighter note. That's what I was going for. Also, slightly Tsundere Ruby, but we can't have Weiss holding that role all on her own. **


	7. Words To Regret

**Please Read AN For Important Shit!**

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**Alright ladies! **

**I've edited chapter 4 to adjust for this chapter. It's how Jaune revealed his feelings. Instead of him deliberately telling Weiss how he felt, Jaune let it slip out. That's all. **

**Now onto other news. Edits are going slow for You've got to use silver. I've rewritten all of chapter one (haven't posted it yet.) Now I'm working on chapter two. I'm actually reconstructing everything and starting from the ground up. **

**For the other plans I had. The first chapter for To Those Who Survived The Fall is also going slow. I've finished up most of it, I just need to write out the fight scene between Jaune and his first enemies Black Swordsman style. **

**This next week, I'm planning on finishing both goals and getting everything up to date with those two stories. **

**For this chapter, I've drawn from the general RWBY fandom for reasons why Weiss would do what she does in this chapter. Then I constructed everything from the ground up. I've decided to get to the root of Jaune and Weiss' issues with this chapter, so we don't fuck around with the reason why they are not liking each other now. There's no point in revealing the truth in ten chapters as a climax, its just exposition. **

**So, enjoy Weiss feeling like shit for 5,420 words!**

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**[Flashback: Several weeks prior to present]**

Weiss was angry. No, it would be better to say she was downright furious at this moment. More than she had been in a long time. Actually, few things ever came close to this. A single instance in her memory could be an apt comparison. At least from what she could remember.

And there was a lot that any lesser man or woman would blow out of proportion as the, 'worst moment of their lives.' This was just something else one could add to the bonfire. Another railcar to add to this 'train wreck.'

It felt as though her heart had been ripped out of her chest and thrown back at her face. The person responsible made no attempt to hide what he did, trying to give a half-arsed apology instead. That betrayal hurt the most out of everything. Just a dagger to be skewered into her heart and then twisted as the organ writhed on the floor. Then came the present feeling of disgust for herself and contempt for her stupidity, causing Weiss' stomach to churn violently as if it were a ship in the middle of a hurricane.

A part of her wanted to cry until her eyes could no longer produce tears. She wanted to scream until her voice became hoarse. If she had a baseball bat and an entire shop of china, Weiss would gleefully have destroyed every last cup. No cheap porcelain dish would survive her wrath. Anybody who got in her way would be given no quarter.

That's what she _really _wanted to do. However, the rational part of her mind. The part that remained in control. Decided to reign in these feelings. Weiss Schnee, after all, was always in control of her emotions.

Before Weiss' thoughts took her any farther, they were cut off by a sudden gust of wind blowing her hair into her face. The girl quickly brushed it away and back into its always pristine shape. A sharp breath through her nose and Weiss focused on the task at hand, burying her anger in favour of completing it. Dainty fingers grasped a nearby piece of metal and positioned it between her thumb and index finger.

She poked at a small container sitting in her lap. The contents of the plastic bowl was a diced chicken breast, rice, and various vegetables topped off with a creamy mushroom sauce. Only a few mouthfuls were taken out of her lunch, which she suddenly had no urge to eat any more of. Another bite and she would have become sick.

Snapping the lid of the tray on, Weiss glanced at some of the hundred or so nearby students. They were randomly dispersed about the rooftop, sitting where ever they wished. With their friends or on their own like Weiss was. None paid any mind to each other and especially to her.

Weiss did not want to be bothered by any of these people. She wanted to be left alone and was perfectly content to do whatever was necessary to keep it that way. It was the most natural option for her, after all.

If she was left alone, then Weiss could sort everything out on her own. She could never rely on anybody else to assist her in matters of the heart. To think there was someone with a magical solution to it all was a joke.

Ruby would complicate things unnecessarily and probably make her mood worse than it was now. But she _could _help take her mind off of things. The rest of her friends wouldn't know what to do. Not even Winter would be able to manage it for all her virtues. She was far too aggressive and would possibly string the boy in question up by his feet. A reaction Weiss did want but would not make her feel any better.

As for right now, Weiss would be able to get over _him _in time.

Get over Neptune Vasilias...

This boy had been one of Weiss' many suitors. The only one of which became her boyfriend. Her first 'real' romantic relationship. Something that went beyond casual/business dinners or meeting someone at a ball. None of which managed to impress her as much as _he _did. After some time, she gave him a chance and found herself falling hard for the boy.

Things were great after they had gotten together. Nothing had changed aside from the status of their relationship, mainly doing the same things they had before. He and Weiss went out on dates to some of the best venues in Vale (all of which were his recommendations), had the most profound intelligent conversations imaginable, and he treated Weiss like she was the only thing that mattered in this world. It was almost everything she could have hoped for. Neptune had metaphorically swept the girl off her feet.

It wasn't until a week ago that Weiss had learned their entire relationship was a farce.

A girl from another school had contacted Weiss, explaining how Neptune was going behind their backs and seeing other people. Not with their consent nor their knowledge. He just decided to date several women for whatever reason. The girl even presented enough evidence worthy of a slam dunk in any legal trial.

At that moment, Weiss didn't know what to think. She didn't know how to react to this bomb that had been dropped on her. The Heiress couldn't be angry at the other girl for this. Both were the victims in this case.

Upon digesting this news, Weiss locked herself inside her room and cried for what seemed like hours. Before she knew it, the next day had arrived as did school. Going to Beacon was the last thing Weiss had looked forward to but went anyway.

Neptune, when confronted with this truth, tried his hardest to say everything was a lie. Yet, there was no sincerity in his voice or anything to show remorse for his actions. Not even an ounce of shame. For all intents and purposes, paraphrasing Ruby, he looked like a young child who had been caught digging around inside a cookie jar when he shouldn't have been. Everything was just a poorly acted script trying to convince Weiss he wasn't what she thought he was. Then promises to make up for his actions followed soon after.

However, it all fell on deaf ears as Weiss gave him a hard slap to his right cheek and then proceeded to storm off to anywhere but where Neptune was. Her friends followed and tried their best to comfort Weiss to no avail.

The funniest thing about this situation was how is reminded Weiss of other men she knew. Men who were members of the upper echelon of society. People who had the power to weave the very fabric of the economy to whatever they wanted it to be. A ruthless bunch who took advantage of others to achieve their goals regardless of whoever would be harmed.

Most notably, Weiss' father came to mind.

Neptune was nowhere nearly as morally bankrupt as Jacques. Few could reach that level of depravity. One would not have any morals, to begin with, and then proceed to go lower if they wanted to.

Weiss found herself being taken advantage of due to her naivety when it came to romance. Which is likely the reason for her current pain as she never experienced something like this before. It led to her own manipulation as she didn't see through this facade. Then Neptune's reaction was just like her father's or any other elites. He either didn't expect to be caught, trying to backpedal with promises or just didn't care. If Neptune had cared in the first place, then he wouldn't have been a two-timing pig.

Every boy that had ever attempted to woo Weiss was just another rodent trying to use someone else for their own gains. Some attempted to do it to gain better standing between their family's business and the Schnee's. Others were on a quest to join the family and ascend to the highest point within the hierarchy. Weiss already knew this was blatantly obvious with some suitors, but Neptune was something else. Weiss knew what he wanted, it disgusted her to know it.

And Weiss thought Neptune really liked her. Maybe he did... but it didn't excuse his actions.

With another heavy sigh, Weiss collected her things and made ready to go back inside. The chill from the wind was beginning to become uncomfortable for her. Not that going back inside was more comfortable. Just trading out one displeasure for another.

"Hey, Weiss..."

The voice behind her was familiar. Although she hadn't heard it in some time. However, it brought an annoying presence with it that Weiss _really _didn't want to deal with right now.

She turned around to see Jaune Arc standing two or three metres behind her. The boy had a stupid looking grin on his face. One that could be described as cheerful bordering on nervous. It almost resembled Ruby's everpresent smile in some way. Other than that, everything else was the same with his scraggly haircut and poorly fitted uniform.

This boy had been a thorn in her side for several months now. He seemed to carry some torch for Weiss. Asking her on dates repeatedly, using cheap tricks to impress her, or even his lacklustre charm in an attempt to woo the Heiress. Generally being annoying to put it simply. Weiss would only give him the recognition of being courteous when she was dating someone else. He at least left her alone and didn't once try to ask her out. Jaune, instead, hung around with Ruby and the rest of her friends.

"What..." Weiss asked harshly, not wanting to continue this conversation for very long. She was doing her damndest to keep her emotions in control. "What do you want?" Frankly, she sounded as vulnerable as she felt.

Jaune's smile vanished for a second. He probably realised that her mood wasn't the best right now. However, it soon reappeared along with a minute squint of his eyes. He then rubbed the back of his head in a blatant display of his nerves.

"Well... umm," Jaune began hesitantly. He glanced off to his right, not meeting her eyes. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out some time?" His expression changed to a more neutral one, still holding its lively look. "Do something _fun_... Can be anything really?"

_What... _

Weiss stared up at Jaune in a confused state for several moments. She needed time to register what just happened. Her mind was too clouded by previous thoughts to come to a conclusion.

_He's asking me out again... Why? _

_Why now? _

There had to be a reason for it. Jaune coming up to her out of the blue was normal early in the school year. Almost unexpected at times, but regular. Why now of all times? Didn't he know what happened?

The entire school learned about it within minutes. Jaune had to have heard from someone. He wouldn't have pulled this stunt if he thought Weiss was still taken. Would he?

Jaune didn't even come to her aid when she was nearly bawling her eyes out, having her heart broken in the middle of the school day. Hell, he hadn't said a word to her in the past week. Weiss had not seen him. It was like he vanished off the face of the earth.

The feeling of dread crept up from some dark pit inside her stomach. A lump formed in her throat as the wheels in her head began turning. She then realised what was going on.

_Just like every other boy... _

There was no reason for Jaune to be here unless he wanted something from her. It was simple, really. He was only here for selfish reasons. Not the girl in front of him barely holding it together. Or, more accurately, the boy was here for the _girl_. Not the person inside the vessel.

Why would Jaune come crawling out of the woodworks unless he had some sort of plan to capitalise on Weiss' misfortune? With what happened between her and Neptune, it couldn't have been a coincidence. Especially with it being so soon after.

Weiss Schnee was in a vulnerable place right now. It showed, and she knew it; however much as she wished that wasn't the case. Then Jaune would come along and cheer her up, acting like the good guy. He might end up as the rebound, having devised a plan to be there as a shoulder to cry on, initially. A few weeks later, after getting over her awful mood, Jaune would do it again. Then he would sink his teeth into the girl.

It was merely taking advantage of the situation and making the most of it. Every Schnee understood this concept from birth and applied it to their lives. She wouldn't be the fool again.

This made it clear that Jaune was nothing more than a vulture. A bird ready to swoop in and feast upon Weiss in her weakened state. The girl in question was not some piece of carrion to be devoured. Weiss was not going to be the fool.

Weiss' blood began to boil even hotter as the seconds ran by. Her heart screamed out in pain once again as the deep wound scoring the muscle opened up once again. The girl's teeth clenched together as she tried to choke back a sob.

"Do you... do you even care," Weiss questioned in a low tone, looking towards the ground. Something akin to a harsh whisper in an attempt to keep her emotions in check. There was almost a glimmer of hope in her voice.

She felt the boy take a step closer.

"Uh... yeah," Jaune replied nervously, having heard the girl. Weiss looked back up to see his expression shift to a more uncomfortable one. "I-I care... But it doesn't have anything to do with me _liking _you!" His face turned beet red for a few seconds, having let that slip by some careless mistake. "It's just me! Why wouldn't I!" Jaune changed tones quickly in an attempt to backpedal, flashing her a nervous smile and rubbing the back of his head. Everything sounded like he knew what Weiss meant.

And Weiss wanted to believe him. There was a part of her that really did. The part about him _liking _her too. But she already knew these were honeyed words. False declarations used to draw an unsuspecting individual in. For that, Weiss was going to tell Jaune exactly what she thought of him. He had his chance. No innocent smile of his would hide what Weiss saw underneath.

"Heh..." Weiss let out a snort, almost bordering on outright laughter. "No, you don't..." She could feel the tension inside of her stomach growing tighter. "You don't even like _me_!" Weiss saw the last of his smile disappear. "You just like Weiss Schnee."

Weiss' words were loud enough to draw the attention of every other student on the roof. She didn't care. Actually, she did, because everybody here was going to learn about what kind of person Jaune was. Weiss wasn't going to hold back.

"If you liked me," she started out harshly, making sure Jaune would always remember this. "You would have left me alone!" She took a step closer. "If you cared, then you would not have boldly asked me out after having my heart _broken_! Which you didn't even take the time to make sure I was fine! To show that you could care about my feelings!" She took another step to Jaune. The boy wore a stunned expression, showing Weiss that his little rouse was seen through immediately. "But no... You didn't care about _me_! You, Jaune Arc, thought you could take advantage of me like every boy I've ever known who has tried to court me in the past!" She took one last step towards him, poking him in the chest. "How could anyone bear feelings for someone if they were going stab them in the back?!"

"Weiss, that's..." Jaune tried to speak up but was cut off by Weiss. She wouldn't allow him to weasel his way out of this with another lie.

"_Shut up_," Weiss growled. The boy clenched his jaw, keeping him from saying another word. Weiss didn't waste any time, getting to her point. "Because, Jaune Arc, you are just another dim-witted, filthy, reprobate that is just trying to use me for their own gain. Whether or not it is for increasing your social or financial standing! Maybe you just wanted something to _entertain _yourself for a while before you set your eyes on another girl! One of those reasons must have been why you were so persistent about trying to woo me earlier in the semester. This time, you made me realise what you really are."

Turning to her left, Weiss left the rooftop, walking past Jaune without another word. She could hear a few other students speaking in whispers, but she did not care for what they had to say. The only sound that mattered was the click of her heels against the concrete below them. The sound of Weiss Schnee ridding herself of another pest.

**[Weiss: Present] **

Weiss sat idly at the lunch table, propping her head up with her right arm. Not really caring about what was going on around her. Weiss drowned everything out, staring off into the distance. The food in front of her had been ignored entirely.

To her left, Yang and Blake were chatting about something. On the other side of the table, Nora was talking to Ren with the latter only listening, occasionally nodding to show his understanding. Ruby and Pyrrha were both missing at the moment.

Her eyes eventually found themselves glancing towards the main door of the cafeteria. A few students were coming and going for some unknown reason. Weiss couldn't care less. None of them had any importance to her.

After what seemed like hours, Ruby crossed through the threshold. The younger girl carried a bright smile on her face, radiating her usual lively aura. A wave towards her friends garnered a similar reply from its current occupants. Weiss, herself, only gave a half-hearted salute, not feeling up to it.

Weiss didn't feel like doing _anything_. She was only going through the motions to drag herself through school every day. Of course, she couldn't let her grades slip, keeping them perfect as always. However, it took every scrap of willpower and all of her effort to maintain them. That meant everything else suffered.

She wasn't dense enough to not understand why her mood was so poor. Yang had declared it to be 'Weissier' than usual. An obvious pun using what _was _her icy, closeted, and almost standoffish behaviour plus her name. Which was funny to the other blonde, but Weiss found it to be the perfect description.

Watching Ruby enter the cafeteria, Weiss saw her turn around and say something to a person behind her. They were concealed by a wall due to the angle at which Weiss sat from the entrance. Yet, a pit began to form in her stomach without warning anyways. A deathly chill crept along her spine and out towards her fingertips.

The identity of the other person was obvious. Weiss instinctively knew who it was.

Slowly, he entered through the same door, following Ruby's lead. A wild mop of blond hair was the first thing to draw Weiss' eyes, giving her confirmation. Following it down, she caught a glimpse of his face. Seemingly okay, but she knew better. The underlying despondent expression was only suppressed. He was concealing his true feelings as a master would, showing her the truth through his eyes.

Everything else spoke to her through his body language. Jaune was uncomfortable to be here. As if he knew he may have a run-in with _her_. Or it may have been something else. That part was unknown to Weiss. However, prior experience told her it was definitely the former.

As Jaune lingered in her sight, Weiss felt her heart rate begin to climb. Its beat echoed within her ears. The girl's weak stomach tied itself into knots as her adrenal glands dumped hormones into her bloodstream. A small droplet of sweat formed on her brow.

The boy only paid attention to his friend. Weiss' friend. He didn't seem to acknowledge the presence of anything else on this planet. It was insignificant to him.

Until he looked away and towards the table where Weiss was sitting. She wanted to duck out of the way and conceal herself from his gaze. As she attempted to do so, Weiss felt her body stiffen up as Jaune had already locked eyes with her.

_No... No... No-no-no-no..._

Weiss couldn't stand it. She couldn't break eye contact. Her heart began racing even faster than it had before. The poor girl trembled. Both of her hands shook uncontrollably.

His eyes carried that same dull look to them. That same look Weiss had seen a few days ago when she last encountered them. The dejected appearance inside Jaune's eyes whenever he caught a glimpse of _her_. It made Weiss want to disappear from his sight permanently so she could never see that face again. Because _she_ caused this.

_Just please talk to me... Don't stare at me like that._

Because Weiss called Jaune those awful things.

When she compared him to another one of her suitors who did not care about _her_. When Weiss had taken her frustration out on the one boy who only showed her genuine kindness. She thought of him as no less than a leech at the time. Weiss screamed at the boy, thinking he deserved her ire.

Weiss made a mistake. The worst one she has ever made. Even more disastrous than Neptune. That was quickly abandoned in favour of this new beast she created.

Jaune Arc was just another victim of the calamity they were both caught up in. Weiss was the one who delivered the blow, but out of a misguided assumption where Jaune was trying to take advantage of her.

It proved Weiss was once again the fool.

Had she let Jaune explain himself, Weiss would have found out he was only trying to take her out to do something _fun_. No date or even a romantic undertone. Just friends going out to some random venue to blow off steam. To cheer Weiss up.

Ruby divulged this information to the Heiress. The former was understandably angry at Weiss when confronted after the disaster on the rooftop. She only calmed when the latter explained her half of the story.

Jaune was only giving Weiss space before he came to talk to her. He knew how a broken heart affected people. Apparently, one of his sisters went through something similar with a girlfriend, which is where Jaune found experience on the matter. He planned on coming to Weiss as a friendly face with something entertaining to distract her mind for a while.

He was trying to help.

The sudden reveal as to his intentions made Weiss want to vomit. She had hurt somebody who came to her as a friend. Not someone trying to claim her heart.

Weiss' condition worsened when she found out Jaune was going to fall on his sword. He was going to do help Weiss as much as he could, and then leave her alone, giving up on his feelings for her. Which could be a done thing now as Weiss had seen to it herself. She had ripped Jaune's own heart out, leaving them both at a loss.

Now Jaune was convinced this was all his fault. Because he had not taken the hint before, he caused Weiss to grow annoyed with him. That being himself in Weiss' time of need was the final straw.

Weiss didn't want that. She couldn't stand the thought of Jaune chastising himself over this. However, everything sounded precisely like Jaune. It didn't matter if he lost. Only if his friends or the girl he liked were the ones to come out on top. And if he failed, then Jaune was going to beat himself up over it.

When Jaune turned his gaze away and towards the ground, Weiss felt her heart crack just a little more. She winched, feeling how tight her chest became. Tears began welling up from beneath her eyelids, threatening to spill over onto her cheeks.

She wanted to sprint over to Jaune - drag him out of the cafeteria, wrapping him up in the biggest hug she could manage and just scream about how sorry she was. How Weiss should not have said any of those things and just beg for his forgiveness. Then? Just talk for a while and try to mend what was left of their relationship.

Weiss didn't care if Jaune wanted nothing to do with her afterwards. She would at least show Jaune the same measure of kindness that he showed her. To show how terrible she felt for hurting someone who had done nothing to wrong her.

But she couldn't move from where she sat. Weiss' legs were paralysed by some unseen force. She was forced to watch as Jaune turned around, said something to Ruby and then leave before the ravenette could reply. The smile on the girl's face vanished as the boy disappeared from the cafeteria. Only a scarlet streak followed the boy out, dipping just behind Ruby and then out the door.

_Don't leave... _

Ruby flat lips morphed into a downtrodden expression, showing her disappointment. The girl had been trying her hardest to get Jaune to cheer up. Weiss followed every minute of it, hoping she could do the same or at least assist.

"_Weiss_," a voice spoke up from her side in a comically loud whisper. "You know if you stare at him long enough, he might turn to - OW!" Yang reached down and rubbed her leg vigorously. Weiss hadn't seen it, but she assumed Blake had decided to pinch her leg, saving the girl from her teasing. Not that Weiss felt especially bothered by it. She just didn't have the energy to.

"Not the time for this, Yang," Blake reprimanded in a flat tone. The faunus stuck her head back inside her book, ignoring Yang entirely now.

As the blonde settled down, her younger sister finally reached the table. Ruby plopping down harshly on the wooden bench in a manner lacking any enthusiasm. Before anybody could say anything, she fell forward, slamming her head into the table with enough force to shake every utensil and plate for ten feet.

Weiss felt like slamming her head into the table some days too.

"Ruby..."

The girl did not respond, burying her face in her arms and screaming into her sleaves. Just loud enough to draw everyone's attention at the table. Shouts of frustration or extreme annoyance at her current situation. Every ounce of Ruby's vocal cords were utilised in creating her bellow.

Ren and Nora stared, wearing a mix between confusion and genuine concern. Yang looked shocked at seeing her baby sister in a poor mood. Blake kept her default look of indifference, eyes narrowing to show she was thinking about something.

"Um... Ruby," Yang called out to her sister in, bearing a cautious tone. Her expression shifted from shock to worried as any elder sibling would.

Ruby's screams died down a bit to where she became silent. Yet, she did not reply to any call or request given to her. Yang began to look even more worried, tentatively reaching over to give a light shake to the younger girl's shoulder. As her hand neared the girl, Ruby's screams suddenly returned but much louder than before, causing Yang to snatch her hand back out of surprise.

The blonde looked around at her friends with an expression threatening to burst into full-on laughter. She could only just keep a smile from forming as her cheeks instinctively pulled back. Blake had already failed, covering her mouth as to not reveal her entertainment at the scene playing out before her. Weiss silently agreed since it was not supposed to be funny, somehow it was.

"Oooookay, I'm done," Ruby said, transitioning from screaming to talking while suddenly jerking upwards. A red mark remained on her forehead from where she slammed it into the table. She shifted to a posture mimicking Weiss'

"So, what was that about," Yang asked, cocking her head slightly to the side. A smirk appeared on the corner of her lip.

_She's taking a page out of your book, Xiao Long! You of all people should know how to vent your anger... _

"What do you think," Ruby spat, obviously not attempting to hide her poor mood. A direct contrast to how Weiss behaved for the past two weeks.

"Ooo, a little feisty today," Yang pointed out the obvious. "Boy problems?"

Both Ruby and Weiss bristled up slightly. One out of annoyance and the other out of shame. The Heiress suddenly had the urge to be anywhere, but here.

"Yang," Ren cut in tersely. "You're not helping." The boy didn't seem annoyed, but rather, he was directing the conversation elsewhere.

"Just trying to get her to admit it," Yang shot back. "Not good to keep stuff like that to yourself!" She glanced over at the Heiress for a half-second.

Yang was very annoyed with Weiss because of what she said to Jaune. She tried her best to assist with the matter but consistently expressed her annoyance. So, the blonde was not sparing in her methods, practically wringing out the information from the poor girl like a damp cloth.

"I know," Ruby mumbled, not being able to speak correctly in her position. She shifted, dropping her arm and freeing up her jaw. "Jaune was fine earlier. Then he said he wasn't hungry and left..."

_Because he saw me, you dunce! I know everybody knows it, but this... this is painful! _

"We saw," Blake finally spoke up, showing Ruby they understood. "Jaune looked like a dead fish."

"He looked sick," Nora added on, showing her serious side.

_Of course, he did. That's what having a broken heart feels like!_

"So, we know he's not really getting any better," Yang concluded. "He might, if a certain _someone_, went to talk to him..."

All eyes turned to Weiss. She was now under the microscope once again.

"I-_I_," Weiss stumbled over her words. She didn't know what to say.

"Yang," Blake chided the blonde, saving Weiss from this painful topic. "I don't know if you noticed, but Jaune is actively avoiding Weiss. Clearly, he has reason to do so. Why not respect his decision?"

_Why wouldn't he avoid me?_

Blake was more critical and defensive of Weiss actions than her blonde counterpart. Much like Ruby, but expressed her desire for Weiss to have heard Jaune out.

"Jaune is also not in the mood to see Weiss right now," Ren declared, giving his insight. "It won't go well for anybody if she approaches him."

Ren had to reign in Nora from snapping Weiss into two pieces. After getting her to calm down, both realised how badly everything got messed up. Those two were actually the most forgiving aside from Ruby.

"He _won't _talk to her right now," Nora said with absolute certainty.

Weiss couldn't help but agree with the two. Even she wasn't ready to go seek out Jaune right now. Weiss would end up becoming a bumbling mess and probably make it even worse for them both.

"Alright, alright," Yang conceded, collapsing onto her arms. "I'm just getting angry about seeing everybody so glum! I like things to get shaken up every once in a while, but this is too much."

Weiss would have liked things to go back to normal as well. Maybe not with Jaune relentlessly pursuing her heart as she didn't have any desire for a relationship right now. Neither did he most likely. However, if they could find something between themselves like Jaune and Ruby's friendship, then Weiss would wholeheartedly accept.

"I got it," Ruby announced loudly, standing up while planting her hands on the table. She seemed to have come to a decision. "Ladies... and Weiss." The Heiress rolled her eyes at the jab. "I think we should begin formulating, 'Operation: Make Jaune feel better again!' Any objections?!"

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**Next chapter will be Jaune plus our final girl. **

**Stay thirsty my friends!**


	8. Leonhardt

**I'm back baby!**

**I busted my ass to get this chapter out. My qouta per day was at least 2k words because I was really excited about this one. I need to type more per day I want to get these chapters out, actually. Probably 3k per day would suffice. **

**I think you guys are really going to like this chapter. I am bringing the last part of our harem in, and I'm giving this harem what every single harem needs. A little cliche that I thought would be perfect. **

**I'm also starting to play DnD guys! A few of my friends and I are playing a campaign right now. I'm the team Paladin (who is a total chad by the way.) I've also done my first homebrew oath which was interesting. I'm going to put it at the bottom of the chapter so you guys can see. (It actually ties in with the theme we're going for here. The concept of the Ubermensch, not DnD.) **

* * *

**Edit note (1/10/20): Edited something towards the bottom of the chapter for clarity.**

**Edit note (1/11/20): Touched up on Pyrrha and Jaune's conversation. Made things more clear about where she stands. Also made edits to just make it sound better.**

**Also, if you got another notification saying this chapter was posted, I don't know what happened. It surprised me too.**

**Edit (1/24/20): Added something to Pyrrha's outfit. Think Monika from DDLC. **

* * *

"Come on, Jaune," Ruby spoke up, walking backwards in front of the boy. Her pace nearly at a skip. Each of Ruby's hands behind her back with a cheerful smile on her face. Seemingly able to navigate through the crowd without the use of her eyes. Before Ruby could run into anybody, however, she twirled back around and skipped on ahead.

He wasn't sure where this pep in her step was coming from. Jaune had several ideas for why though. Probably just him being there was the reason for her good mood. Or it was just Ruby being Ruby. If neither, Jaune was getting closer to giving up on figuring out what made that girl tick.

_Just take the win..._

Alas, Ruby dragged him off to lunch like she had done many days before. Jaune following unenthusiastically as he always did. Their little routine being the highlight of his day. Their banter, joking, and dorking out becoming Jaune's drug.

Who knew how much someone could miss just hanging out with their friends? Jaune didn't think it was possible. Apparently, stomping around Vale in the middle of the night with a blood lust going full throttle made certain things more appetising. Compared to slaughtering a half dozen guys in an alleyway, this was preferable.

He had gone so long without these little moments, Jaune experienced a withdrawal. His body aching for some regular contact with another normal person. With the newest dose coursing through his veins, the sensation of elatement took hold, washing away any doubts about himself from earlier today. His body and mind returning to some semblance of balance. It made him hope for more, coming from this girl or anybody who could provide.

His battered mind needed these moments. It was the only thing propping the boy up. His desire was the cause for these little moments, but it was everything to him. Even if he had seen Ruby yesterday; with everything that had occurred since he fled the school, Jaune felt like it had been a year since his last fix.

So, Jaune was going to ride this day out and figure out what to do from there. If he could actually find some joy here, then the boy was going to wring every last drop he could out from it. That little injection of dopamine was all Jaune relished right now.

_Like I ever thought class was something I looked forward too..._

Whilst enjoying this high, Jaune's senses picked up on anything and everything. He was able to pay attention to the girl in front of him; however, everything else came to Jaune as perfectly clear background noise. Their smells, annoying conversations, and every minute detail his eyes could catch. All in a slow-motion picture that Jaune dissected in the back of his head.

It all made the boy feel even less normal than he was before. Sure, Jaune felt like he could take on the world right now. Being a vampire and all, he was above any regular human or faunus. Jaune had also gotten back together with his friends too. However, being able to use magic, have hypersensitive senses, and turn into a swarm of bats just made Jaune feel like he was even more of an outsider. Compounded with everything carrying over from his last high school, of course. You have to build up from somewhere, and that's where Jaune got his start.

_Heh... How weird can a person get?_

_Scratch that actually... Stupid question. People can get weirder. A dorky vampire is probably the best we can hope to get..._

_Just don't think about the situation... We're weird, but we're still Jaune. Being a vampire doesn't have anything to do with it..._

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Jaune looked up to see the open doors of the cafeteria. A roar of voices spilling out and into the hallway. Their mindless cacophony causing Jaune's ears to ring slightly. The smells coming from within enticed the boy further, making him disregard the pain from his ears for the scent.

The thought of some good food made the boy's mouth water. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning. Blood doing nothing to satisfy his body's nutritional needs. Unlike some nuggets or a half-decent hamburger, which would set him up for the next couple of hours.

That's if Ruby or Yang didn't pilfer all of his fries. Their appetites being the stuff of legend, only comparable to Nora's. The thought of Nora basically ransacking all of the pancakes made Jaune quake in fear.

Ruby turned around, causing Jaune to relax slightly. She stopped right at the edge of the doors. "So, do you want to go find our friends..." she began hesitantly, seemingly afraid for Jaune's reaction. Her head bowing slightly, refusing to meet the boy's eye. One foot-dragging itself across the ground in a show of nerves. "...or just look for a random spot?"

Jaune knew she was talking about Weiss. Who else would she be? Suffice to say, the boy didn't want anything to spoil his day. He _really_ didn't want to see Weiss. Especially if there was a repeat of yesterday morning. If he could stay away from his other friends too, then it would be for the better.

Ruby was one of the few Jaune could be around and not have any reaction. That being the voice inside his head, which hadn't made its appearance in quite some time. Yang was all right to be around as was Blake. Nora and Ren seemed to be out of the danger zone as well. However, Jaune couldn't count on that always being the case.

Testing the waters might be a good idea, so long as Jaune braced himself. He needed to find his limits if there was even a chance of him being able to live a normal life. Then blowing past them and getting accustomed to the next series until there was nothing left to stand in his way.

"Yeah..." Jaune agreed, trying to put on his best face. It seemed to give Ruby something encouraging as a smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "Let's look around for a spot..."

Ruby nodded, turning around and heading inside the cafeteria. Jaune followed right up until he stood before the doorway. He faced an overwhelming sense of apprehension. It froze his legs to the floor, trying its best to keep him from stepping inside. He was afraid of what might happen if he did. Jaune remembered the last time he came to the cafeteria, and he wasn't even aware of his vampirism.

Ruby turned around once again. She was already a few feet inside the cafeteria. "Are you coming?"

Move your ass Jaune... You said you were going to eat lunch with Ruby today. You haven't even felt the need to drink any blood since this morning!

Jaune nodded, prying himself loose from this fear holding itself over his head. Taking his first few steps inside the cafeteria, he was able to adapt himself to the booming cacophony, shutting out some of the sounds easily. The smells were something else Jaune was unable to deal with, however.

_What the fuck..._

Jaune made a colossal error.

The present scent of blood on the air practically begged the boy to seek out its source and drain it to the last drop. Jaune couldn't see where it was coming from. It was everywhere and nowhere all at once. It surrounded and tainted the very essence of the room. Every surface was drenched in this ichor.

This unholy stench filled the boy's nostrils, preventing him from focusing on another. There was no swaying Jaune's body from what it wanted. This feeling coming on stronger than the first time he lost himself to his blood rage.

_*Ta-thump*_

The sudden echo of a heartbeat proceeded a throbbing pain shooting through Jaune's entire body. Every nerve set itself alight as if they all had been cut at once. The pain comparable to somebody jumping on his chest, bouncing over and over again without end. His throat closing, refusing to allow even a short breaths worth of air into his lungs. The pain squeezed every last drop of air out of him until there was none left. Jaune dug his fingernails in his palm, attempting to alleviate the pain, but only drawing blood from within to no avail.

"Hegch," Jaune groaned from deep within his throat.

He wanted to bend over and vomit. But Jaune couldn't allow himself to show any sign of pain. If anybody touched him, he didn't know what would happen. As if the tiniest thing would set him off on a rampage. Everything in his path would be cut down like wheat under a scythe.

"Scgggh!" A bubble of air came rushing up past his vocal cords, creating a pained gurgle.

Jaune looked through the crowd using only his eyes. He needed to find an exit, but couldn't move from where he stood. Something was keeping him trapped inside this room. Whether it be man or beast, Jaune was unsure of. He didn't even know the first thing about how this blood rage worked. So, how the hell was he supposed to know what trapped him inside this room?

This sudden breach of Jaune's harmony became overwhelming. He was on the verge of passing out. This prison becoming the very epitome of all evil. No, this _ghetto_ he was imprisoned within where only pain could be felt. No joy or meaning to this eternal damnation.

What force beyond Jaune's understanding would place him here to suffer like this. It had to be another object from within this room, acting upon his body. Jaune had to find it lest he cut down everything in his way.

He looked around the room once again. This time his eyes training themselves on where his friends sat. His dearest friends. Those who held within the highest regards.

_*Ta-thump*_

Another throb tore through his pitiful corpse. Jaune nearly collapsed this time under the immense pressure. It wasn't until he set his eyes onto Weiss that the pain grew even greater and travelled from a majority of his body down to his right arm.

Her beautiful eyes stared back at the boy with a look of sadness. They robbed Jaune of his ability to feel anger or anything in her presence. His body became washed over with an icy chill, ridding him of the pain for only a moment. This source originated from the girl. But why?

_Aww... Fuck!_

This throbbing grew stronger and stronger, convincing Jaune this limb was going to just fall off. It began to feel heavy, almost as if someone tied cinderblocks to his hand. It continued on down his arm until it reached his right palm, beginning to intermingle with the open wound.

**_My shackles crumbled before me._**

**_Their chains decaying with a phantom's touch._**

_No!_

Jaune balled his fist up with all of his strength, causing his bones to creak. This pressure emanating from within was broken instantly, shattering into a million pieces. Whatever magic welling up had been dispelled, leaving Jaune feeling weary. Crocea Mors being sent back to where ever it remained imprisoned. A moment of clarity arose for Jaune to move.

He needed to leave this room and find somewhere private. Anywhere away from Weiss would be perfect. Better, away from Ruby or anybody else he knew.

Jaune looked back to Ruby. "Uh, sorry..." he feigned his apology. "...not feeling hungry right now... I'll catch you later."

He turned and fled the cafeteria, acting normally as he did so. There was no way Jaune could allow Ruby to sink her claws into him by letting her ask a question. If she managed to hold him down, then Jaune didn't know what would happen. He might lose control of Crocea Mors completely.

**[Outside the Cafeteria]**

Jaune walked briskly through the halls, trying to go anywhere but the cafeteria. Anyone who stood in his way were pushed aside as the boy sailed through the crowd. Some even falling over, hitting the floor after being shoulder-checked by the retreating vampire. Their complaints going unheard as his mind devoted itself to a singular desire.

_Get out of my way, people..._

Jaune's body felt hot. Not 'hot' as in warm from the sunlight or a light jog. Jaune felt like he was on fire. His right hand getting the worst of it. A hot iron being pressed against the limb wouldn't have come close to the heat radiating off of his digits.

Against the cold air conditioning of Beacon Academy, his skin might have let off steam. Almost as if he came freshly out of an oven. No, it would be better to say his body was generating this heat. It wasn't being applied to him. He was merely the heating coil.

**Coward...**

_Fuck you!_

Jaune twisted around, looking to see if there was some ghost following him around. This mocking presence just in the back of his head, cropping up when he really didn't need it. Jaune was prepared to go searching through the shadows to see if something was hiding there as well. However, his fuming anger subsided for a moment, letting Jaune trudge onwards.

Of course, he was pissed right now. Everything had been going so well today until now. His illusion had been shattered by an idiotic mistake when he thought there was some level of control he could maintain over his bloodlust. The voice only giving Jaune something to direct his anger at for a moment when there was nothing else to. The pain still clouding his thoughts from accurately dissecting the situation.

He didn't even think there was another factor at play here.

This outlying variable was Weiss. Not the blood in the air. Jaune had no problems dealing with that. He had sated himself for now. He didn't have the desire to take a single drop of blood the entire day. Even if Jaune could smell it on them, it elicited no reaction.

But why Weiss of all people? Jaune didn't know what was going on with her. That throbbing sensation had never occurred before. Not even when Jaune was still a newborn vampire who had only taken blood for the first time. Weiss also didn't have that vampire smell he had come across last night. So, it was likely there was something else screwing with Jaune's head. It hadn't even made its appearance when Jaune ran into her yesterday.

Jaune really didn't want to think Weiss was a part of his problems, but she ended up becoming one. The rejection and subsequent beration of his feelings stung for sure, however, it became the least of his worries once he became a vampire. Things like that didn't matter to Jaune anymore. It was no longer of any importance.

However, this radiance emanating from her body was going to be an issue. If Crocea Mors was going to try coming out whenever she was anywhere close to him, then Jaune needed to constantly make himself scarce. That meant with everyone else too. None of his friends could come close to him so long as Crocea Mors continued acting up.

It gave Jaune an excuse to avoid her at least. Not that he didn't have one beforehand. He would need something to dress it up. An actual legitimate reason that didn't have anything to deal with magic or vampirism. That was going to be the hard part.

That meant he would be using Weiss as a scapegoat to avoid all of his friends for now. It would be safer for them that way. Just letting them all hang out while Jaune went off by his lonesome. Keeping them happy by not breaking up their little group.

Suffice to say, Jaune's idea about playing the part was no longer an option. He couldn't play the comic book-loving dork until he figured out what was going on. It worked for a while before completely falling apart, which gave Jaune only the slightest bit of encouragement.

It all meant there was a way for Jaune to get out of this without his friends knowing anything. He just needed to start from the basics and learn how to fully control Crocea Mors.

Taming a magical sword was well within his grasp, right?

_Of course, it isn't! Who am I kidding?! I don't have the first clue on how to use this damn thing! I just summoned it once! How the hell am I supposed to figure out magic?! That shit didn't exist until I accidentally used it for the first time ever!_

Jaune ran a hand through his hair, groaning loudly. He felt the need to punch something hard. Unfortunately, there wasn't a single towel dispenser or vampire aside from himself running around. However, the nearby pillar was looking pretty appetising to go wild on.

_Don't do it Jaune... Ms Goodwitch hasn't come after you for the towel dispenser, so best to not attract her attention._

Jaune looked around for somewhere else to go. There had to be a place where the boy could find his solace. Not too many bathrooms in this building were isolated enough to where Jaune could chill out, and nobody would ever go inside.

A nearby stairwell offered an idea that Jaune was going to take advantage of, however. The roof where Weiss had made her rather public rejection of the vampire. It served as a fitting joke since Weiss went up there to get some time alone too.

A little known fact about that roof was how empty it could be on certain days. Sometimes a hundred or so people would head up there for lunch, sometimes barely anyone at all. Jaune happened to know from prior experience today was just going to be the latter.

Just his luck.

**[Roof]**

Putting a few quarters inside of a vending machine, Jaune selected a bottle of coffee from among the choices available. The beverage tumbled out from a slot on the side, which he snatched up and downed a sip of. The slight bite of a light roast running over his taste buds brought a sense of relief to the boy. It was nowhere near the quality of coffee Jaune could brew, but it was something.

A few feet away from the boy was the door leading out onto the roof. A part of him was nervous to even head outside right now. He couldn't hear anybody out there, and neither could he smell anyone. The incident with Weiss giving Jaune second thoughts about going anywhere with lots of people.

What if there was another person just like her out there? Someone with that kind of aura about them surely had to exist. If there were other vampires, then it was a definite possibility. Jaune didn't want to risk something like that happening again. Not because of the pain, but the mere chance Crocea Mors would unleash itself without allowing Jaune to hold it back.

His right hand still felt heavy too. That sensation hadn't worn off yet. Actually, it felt a few pounds heavier than it was supposed to. As if a sword was held within that limb.

The thought was frightening but informative. Jaune knew where the sword was. However, as to the what, the sword took a form of when Jaune wasn't using it was a mystery. Maybe when this feeling wore off, the weight from within his arm would vanish completely?

_Just relax Jaune... We're in the clear for now._

He took a deep breath and headed for the door.

Pushing it open, Jaune shielded himself from the oppressive glare of the sun. It did not have any more significant impact due to his vampire senses, actually, having less of one. However, it still blinded him nonetheless. He headed for the shade immediately to get some relief.

Once his eyes adjusted, Jaune was able to see there was not another soul out here. He was surprised, expecting there to have been one or two other people up here. His senses weren't that strong as to be able to pick out the lone diner from behind a steel door a hundred feet away from him.

_Oh, yeah... My luck is all over the place today._

Jaune took the chance to admire the weather. A nice warm seventy degrees with cloudy skies. The perfect weather for sitting on your ass on top of a roof. Even better when you're by yourself.

_Too bad I didn't bring my earbuds..._

He made his way over to the collection of tables and benches, perusing the options available today. Jaune didn't feel like having any intrusions upon his privacy, so he opted to head farther back, and away from the front rows of seats. Here, Jaune was at the edge of the roof where he could overlook the courtyard in peace. A quiet place where he could sit down and wait out this lunch hour.

_Maybe I should skip? Nothing is stopping me from doing it... Mom might have an objection if the school calls her through. Or Ruby might come looking for me..._

Jaune tossed the idea out and laid down on the bench. The coffee hanging loosely out of his left hand like every movie drunk person sleeping in a hammock. Except this wasn't a hammock Jaune was stretched out on, but a steel bench with welded wires, preventing any person from sleeping comfortably on it.

The criss-cross pattern from the hard steel wires was already digging into his back, leaving an impression in the flesh. Luckily, Jaune didn't mind. It was probably one of the most comfortable places he laid down in the last twelve hours. The other two being his bed and a sandy shoal.

Closing his eyes, Jaune felt his body relax for a moment. The pain slowly drifting off, and the pleasant balance he held beforehand seeping back to him. Jaune almost felt like falling asleep right here and now. There was a half-hour left to lunch, which was plenty of time to catch a quick nap.

Then the door to the roof opened and shut. Jaune decided against looking to see who it was. Taking a peek would only reveal his position. Not that he wasn't curious, only locking eyes with the person would probably lead to them finding Jaune quicker. If his luck was holding out, the person would sit down far away from where he sat and wouldn't bother him.

From this distance, Jaune could tell it was a woman. Her heels clicking along the floor echoed in an almost dramatic fashion. She stepped twice to the right, pausing for a second, then stepping five times to the left. The woman stopped here, not moving for several seconds. Jaune was confused as to the reason why.

Then the woman started moving once again. Her footsteps were getting closer. Jaune's anxiety rose with every step coming his way.

_Fuck... Leave me alone, please._

The woman's footsteps nearly eighty feet away and still approaching. A gust of wind rolling through Vale, blew from her direction. Her scent carrying over to where Jaune sat. His nostrils picking up the sweet smell coming off of her.

It was a pleasant aroma. Jaune could tell there was some sort of citrus among the scents. It was anything pungent; however, the smells of deodorant and perfume were more overpowering than anything else. Those were the only smells aside from the always present smell of blood on the wind.

_No..._

Her footsteps remained unflinching. They were doing this to spite Jaune's will that this person would stay as far away as possible from him. The boy's body stiffening in anticipation. He openly waited for the opportunity to vanish into a swarm of bats.

_Go away..._

Jaune could feel she was almost on top of him now. Her light breathing making its way into Jaune's ears. A short pause on her breath as the woman fumbled with something, opening a zipper and pulling a plastic bag out from inside a lunch box.

An object moved in front of the sun, creating a shadow over Jaune's face. He opened his eyes for a moment; however, he could only see a blue haze cast over everything and obscuring the woman's face from view. This person stared back at the boy was a seemingly neutral expression. Although her eyes told Jaune a different story.

"Jaune," she began in an almost sing-songy tone. "Coffee doesn't count as food..."

_Hugghhh... Damnit... Wait... Coffee is food._

She backed away, exposing Jaune's eyes to the harsh light beaming down upon him. Before he could raise his hands to shield himself, the woman swung her arm downwards, releasing an object. The last thing he saw was a small bag rapidly closing in on him.

This object smacking Jaune square in the face, letting out a little wrinkle sound at the impact. He reacted appropriately, jerking suddenly as his poor attempt of a reaction. But it was too late to do anything about it. The sandwich bag just sat on his face for a few seconds. It saved his eyes from being cooked by the sudden rise in UV rays but also blocked Jaune from being able to see anything.

The woman sat down in the remaining space just above Jaune's head. A few more shuffling sounds coming from her as she opened what sounded like a lunchbox. Jaune lay there for a few seconds, before getting up.

Grabbing the bag off his face, Jaune sat up and twisted his body to make it parallel to the girl sitting next to him. He looked down at the bag in his hands, finding it was a sandwich bag containing two sandwiches. Both were cut into two similarly shaped triangles with the crusts missing. They almost seemed like works of art. They were perfect.

"You should eat, Jaune," the woman said, after swallowing her previous bite. "It's going to get warm sitting out in the sun." Jaune could feel her gaze turn unto him.

Jaune wasn't sure if he wanted to eat. The incident from earlier sapped any appetite he had, leaving him wanting nothing. A part of him didn't feel like eating another person's food since she was handing Jaune what felt like a significant portion of her lunch.

"Are you sure," Jaune asked, holding up the sandwich bag. His arm felt weak, even lifting something weighing less than a pound. "This is your lunch. I don't want to eat it if you're going to go hungry, Pyrrha."

Jaune looked over to see her with another sandwich in hand. Her long-flowing scarlet wolf-tail gleaming in the sunlight. The locks tied up with a length of golden ribbon. Two long tassles hung off from the remaining cloth, running down her back. The girl's expression remained neutral, albeit a sliver of a smile in the corner of her lips. Her eyes holding a bright and very confident look to them. An angel having come to Jaune's aid.

Pyrrha swallowed the bite she had taken. "It's fine, Jaune," she said, grabbing her lunch box. The red-head tilted it so he could see inside. There was almost a half dozen of these small sandwiches as well as a bunch of fruits and other vegetables. "I have more than enough, so go ahead..."

Pyrrha Nikos.

Basically the prettiest, smartest, and the most athletic girl at Beacon Academy. Top of the junior class, constantly competing with Weiss for first, giving the Heiress a run for her money every second of the day. She's the student council president as well as a major player in several other clubs at the school. On top of that, Pyrrha was also a nationally recognised athlete with dozens of sponsors clamouring for a chance to slap her name on top of their products. These same benefactors responsible for an immense fortune she built up.

Even ignoring her achievements, Pyrrha was basically a benevolent deity here, being one of the nicest people you could meet. She would go out of her way to help those around her and even participated in tons of volunteer work for the clubs she was in. You didn't have to ask, and Pyrrha would just seek you out if a person even looked like they needed assistance.

Out of every girl at Beacon Academy, Pyrrha never left the top five in any guy's list.

And she's Jaune's childhood friend, which made things interesting.

You know that cliche where the main character of a manga has a friend as a kid, and then the main protagonist leaves for a couple years before coming back to their hometown, finding out that their childhood friend became really hot? That was Pyrrha Nikos personified. She owned the trademark, copyright, and they're still paying royalties to her for using the cliche. Nobody else could even hold a candle to Pyrrha on that.

A glow up (though never really needed it) that made Jaune jealous of his own strike at puberty. Pyrrha's genes hitting her like a semi-truck loaded to max capacity.

Jaune remembered Pyrrha being there since the first memory he had. They were practically glued to the hip for almost ten years, doing everything together. Those were some of the fondest memories he had of his childhood. Even better as both families were especially close, Pyrrha essentially becoming an adopted sibling to the Arc children. Jaune's sisters were obsessed with Pyrrha, counting her among their friends as well.

Alas, all things had to come to their final conclusion. Jaune and his family moved from Vale to Florida, leaving behind Pyrrha. A trade of scenery Jaune hated as much as Pyrrha did. The red-head becoming inconsolable when she learned of their departure. All of this beginning Jaune's six long years of isolation.

The first time in those six years Jaune saw her, however, was before his father's funeral. Pyrrha running up to Jaune and wrapping him up in the biggest hug she could manage. Make-up running down her face from the tears pouring out from beneath her eyelids. Once the funeral was done and Jaune headed back to his home, the two did keep in touch for a while until they fell off once again.

Childhood best friends could drift apart over time, and that's what happened to these two. It was a possibility the two could reignite their spark and get their friendship going again, but then Jaune ran into Ruby. Then things were never really the same between him and Pyrrha in the months after returning to Vale. They were friends, but nowhere as close as they used to be.

"Thanks," Jaune replied, unwrapping the bag and pulling one-half of the contents out.

The bread was still dry, not having the chance to become soaked from any condensation. From the outside, Jaune could tell there were mayonnaise and mustard as the two toppings to this dish. Inside there was a layer of lettuce, creating the foundation with a think layer of turkey next. On top of that were was a few tomatoes, some swiss cheese, and finally a layer of thinly sliced ham.

Jaune took a bite, perking up slightly as the taste slammed into his buds. It was immaculate. The mustard, and mayonnaise not overpowering, but adding that little flavour the sandwich needed. It was spicy mustard as well, which gave an additional kick. The little crunch from the lettuce and tomato, making this first dive a satisfying one.

For not having any food in the last twelve hours, Jaune's stomach felt delighted. It growled like a lion, urging the boy to take several more large bites. He finished the sandwich, but it left him wanting more. The little drop of mustard on his pinky finger becoming the next one on his list.

"How was it," Pyrrha asked, having set her food down some time ago. Both of her hands remained in her lap, but the rest of her body language told Jaune she was becoming rather antsy.

"Good," Jaune said with a snort. "Your mom's cooking is great... I forgot how it tasted." He looked over to see Pyrrha staring at him with a narrowed-eye gaze. Her lips morphing into a slight pout.

"And you are assuming I didn't make these myself," Pyrrha replied with an accusatory tone. She crossed her arms, beginning to put more emphasis into her pout.

It was cute seeing her try to feign anger. Jaune almost fell for it but knew better.

"Heh, Pyrrha," Jaune began, leaning back onto the bench. "Of your many virtues... cooking has never been one of them." He cupped his chin to think for a second. "Actually, the last time I saw you cook anything, you managed to burn water..."

_How the hell does someone burn water?!_

Pyrrha invited her friends over for dinner once a few months back. Her parents were cooking a pasta dish, which she tried to assist them by boiling the noodles. Only a few minutes later, the fire alarms were set off as Pyrrha somehow let the water overboil and then a fire got started in the kitchen.

_Fun times..._

Jaune felt Pyrrha shift away from him. Whether out of embarrassment or comfort, it was up for grabs, however, her face turned a light shade of pink. Her pout disappearing entirely, replaced with a smile she was trying to hold back.

"Yes..." Pyrrha agreed in her usual tone. "I suppose not everyone can be gifted in cooking. That would probably be your talent..."

_Yeah... Efficient killer too..._

"However," she continued, drawing out the last syllable. "I didn't come up here to talk to you about our talents..." Her voice held a tinge of nervousness to it, showing she was carefully approaching the subject as Pyrrha did with everything.

_Great... Hoping we could avoid this subject._

Jaune let his head fall backwards, landing on the bench's backrest. A slight groan escaped his lips, giving Pyrrha his own impression on the matter.

She had helped him a little bit here and there when it came to Weiss. Both before and after their little spat began. Pyrrha had encouraged his feelings for Weiss as did Ruby. Once everything fell apart, both girls jumped to support Jaune without him asking.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you saw me in the cafeteria," Jaune asked rhetorically, knowing the truth by this point.

He wasn't dense enough to think Pyrrha came up here if she hadn't. Clearly, Jaune was troubled by the situation, and she followed him, seeing that he may have needed a shoulder. Not that he needed one now, but a few weeks ago, sure.

"You ran away after getting into a staring contest with Weiss," Pyrrha confessed, turning back to him. Her tone remained polite. "Which sounds like something you would do, Jaune..."

"Really?"

"Yes..." Pyrrha said hesitantly again. "Unfortunately, you have a habit of running away from your problems. Or you try to ignore them until they get out of hand."

_Ouch..._

**Damn... She read you like a fucking book.**

"I understand she may have hurt your feelings, but it's not going to help anybody if either of you continues to neglect your negative emotions..." Pyrrha turned her body away from him once again. "...because it is going to lead to more than just you being hurt. It's already putting a strain on the rest of our friends. They are actively choosing between you and Weiss."

"Pyrrha..."

"I've already voiced my displeasure with this scenario, Jaune," she continued, not giving Jaune a chance to speak up for himself. "To both you and Weiss. Each of you are handling the situation poorly. However, it doesn't matter anymore. Putting the blame on one person will not solve your problem."

Jaune brought his hands up to his face, wiping the tension out of his muscles. "I get it," he said, getting Pyrrha to stop. "Running away from my problems..."

"Something that hasn't changed since we were kids," Pyrrha cut in, reminding him of the old days. A snicker leaving her lips. "Still keeping your childhood personality is both one of your best features as well as your biggest flaw. A lot of our friends haven't changed for the better, however, so you have that one advantage. Being dorky, and still having that active imagination does help with your image."

Jaune felt himself blush at the notion. Sure he had grown up and acquired new tastes over time, but he could agree there wasn't a lot of change. Pyrrha didn't seem to think it was a bad thing. However, he wasn't sure if his other friends felt about it in the same way.

The sound of the lunch bell signalled the end of their conversation. Pyrrha quickly packed up her lunch and stood up from the bench. A quick swipe of her hand removed any trace of crumbs that remained on her clothes.

"Listen, Jaune," Pyrrha spoke up once again. "Please do talk to Weiss sometime. It would be good for each of you to sort out your feelings and get over this. If not to clear things up with her, then do it for Ruby. I will admit it rubs me the wrong way to see her so sad. It brings down the rest of us, and Nora has to compensate."

_Not gonna happen for a while... Even if Nora is terrorising everyone._

"I know," Jaune admitted, feeling like crap about Ruby. "But it's not a good time for me to go talk to her. I want to keep my distance until I'm ready. Things are kind of difficult for me right now..."

Jaune knew Pyrrha meant well, but she couldn't do anything to help him. His problem went far beyond him and Weiss. However, just showing up and being there for him was as much as Jaune could hope for.

"Of course," she agreed, turning to head back inside the building. "You need to do this at your own pace. Don't try to rush it if you can't help it... Also, I'm here if you want to talk." She looked back at him once again, staring at him as if she was expecting something to happen. "Are you coming or are you going to skip class?"

_How did she know?_

"I-I'm coming," Jaune answered, making up his mind on it. "Ruby would come looking for me if I did. You would tell her where I am too."

"Maybe..."

**[Vale: Later that night.]**

Jaune crouched down on a rooftop, surveying the city from above. The sounds of the metropolis echoing throughout the night sky. Millions of lights ensured there would be no darkness on this most auspicious of evenings. His hair blowing in the wind, getting pushed back behind his ears.

Jaune felt the need for blood. His every fibre needed it. His body constantly throbbing, feeling the urge to hunt something. Nothing like the pain he felt earlier, but one from the adrenaline pumping through his veins. His right-hand burned.

**Tonight, let the curtains of our Grand Guignol rise... The grand stage shall be open to all...**

Jaune felt it.

He turned around completely, looking for the exact source of this feeling. It was off in the distance, sequestered in a series of brick buildings containing apartments. One of the poorer sides of town.

He transformed into his bat form, clearing the distance almost instantaneously. He touched down in an alleyway, knowing the source to be just in the darkness. His eyes could not see it just yet. But he knew it was there.

This aura emanating from the shadows was nothing like those vampires Jaune had met last night. It was nothing like Weiss'. It was a vile miasma that corrupted all living things. It was potent, as well. Jaune feeling this hatred deep within his bones. Any normal person would have collapsed in the presence of this creature.

Jaune headed deeper into the alley. He could hear what sounded like a struggle going on within. A young woman fighting back an attack. It looked like her assailant had the upper hand. Her hormones permeating the air for a second only to be snuffed out by this aura.

Rounding a final corner, Jaune finally witnessed this creature. It was a man. Nearly Jaune's own height and build. He was dressed in loose white rags, tattering as they hung off his body. His skin, white as snow, but not pale. An albino. The same with his hair, mimicking the lack of melanin. His long locks parted down the middle, flowing down to his shoulders.

The woman he had within her arms was put into a stiff headlock. Jaune could tell she was pregnant. Her hormones and bulging stomach giving his the signs. A look of fear on her face. Jaune couldn't stand by and watch.

"HEY," he spoke up loudly, giving some presence to his voice. Jaune's kips curling back into a half-snarl.

The man looked Jaune's way. His lips curling into a disgusted sneer. "You dare speak that way to me, Boy," he replied angrily, almost shouting. His accent thick. A central European origin, Jaune guessed.

He twisted his arms only a little bit, snapping the woman's neck with ease. Her corpse dropping like a rock, hitting the floor with a light thud. He stepped over her body, heading straight for Jaune. The boy, in turn, backing away slightly.

"You pathetic inbred monkey," the man shouted again. "Where do you get off, shouting at me like that when you haven't even lived more than a quarter-century? YOU THINK YOU CAN TALK TO ME LIKE AN EQUAL?!"

He came closer and closer to Jaune. The boy staring into his eyes. The eyes of another vampire. Jaune feeling every ounce of the man's might, just from his mere presence.

Only after a few seconds without a word, the man's expression changed from one of anger to pure unadulterated joy. His smile stretching across his lips, showing his fangs. Jaune's own snarl vanishing in a mere instance. Their tense standoff broken by the sudden change in mood.

Then the man spoke, slightly cocking his head to the side.

"Ah... _Leonhardt_..."

* * *

**So, Pyrrha and Jaune's conversation was meant to be a tough love lecture. Basically, she politely tells him to get over himself and go talk to Weiss. Just in a sympathetic way as Pyrrha would do so. **

* * *

**Based this oath off of the Oath of Enlightenment, which was actually pretty close to the final product you have here. I know there is a lot more that goes into something such as the Ubermensch, but I've simplified it to make it fun for the game. **

**Oath of The Ubermensch:**

The Oath of The Ubermensch is a sacred vow of self-development. The ultimate goal for those who swear to it is to become the Ubermensch. The followers of this path are members of mystic orders or individuals who find themselves searching for the greatest of causes. Through sheer willpower and constant meditation, one can develop themselves enough to establish their own set of values, and break the notion of living one's life from day to day, being another part of the grand stage with nothing to show for it.

**Tenets of The Ubermensch:**

**Life is Meaningless: **

_There are no evils,_

_There are no sins, _

_There are no further chains that might bind you,_

_All taboos have been rendered meaningless. _

There is nothing in this life that calls for meaning. Everything is merely an arbitrary creation of another human. Life has no direction or purpose beyond survival. Those who swear to this path must find acceptance with this one truth. You must surpass this crux and formulate your own ideas.

**Passionate: **

You must believe in the power of yourself with all your heart. Your passion shall mould those around you. You must not suppress any emotions, feeling all that is natural to you. You must weed out those who would impose their own boundaries onto others.

**Oath Spells: **

**3rd: Armor of Agathys, Compelled duel**

**5th: Detect thoughts, Enhance ability**

**9th: Plant growth, Remove curse**

**13: Dimension door, Banishment**

**17th: Cloudkill, Conjure volley**

**Channel Divinity: **

3rd level:

**Longinuslanze Testament: **

You summon a holy lance imbued with the power of the sun. This lance is your creation. A figment of the willpower you behold. An object that subverts all known creation, loyal only to yourself. To strike something down with this weapon imbues fire damage onto the target. This is additional to the base damage of a lance plus your attack bonus equivalent to 2D6 of damage per turn if they fail a constitution check. This is reduced to 1D6 of damage if they succeed.

**Mind Over Matter: **

You augment the strength of your body with the might of your will. When you fail a saving throw or break your concentration on a spell. You may use Channel Divinity as a reaction to succeed.

**Aura of Will: **

Starting at the 7th level, you may use your willpower to affect those around you. Your enemies will become ill with your very presence before them. All must perform a constitution roll to defy your own.

**Superhuman Endurance: **

Beginning at the 15th level, you can stimulate your body through pure willpower when threatened. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to gain resistance to that instance of damage.

**Thus Spoke Zarathustra: **

At level 20, you may use the mastery of your willpower to affect the very world around you. Counting as an action, you gain the most potent capacity of your entire being. You gain the following benefits for 3 minutes:

You are capable of stopping time for the duration of this ability. You may cast spells without the cost of components. You have advantage over attacks.

After using this feature, you must take a long rest before it is able to be used again.


	9. Krieg

**Before reading this chapter. I done edited the incantation in the fifth chapter to something else entirely. I think it more closely resembles the style I was going for.**

**Also, tell me how I did with that. I cannot write poetry for the life of me, so there may be some additional changes down the line because I am trying to mimic three hundred year old poems. **

* * *

**Busted my ass to get this chapter out. Took a two day break to rest my brain, but I finished it in about threeish days. **

**Onto this chapter, though. The name Jaune gets called by the other vampire is not Le-on hart, but should be pronounced Lay-own heart. **

**Don't ask why. That's what I wanted. **

**So, I got nothing else really. If you have any questions, save them for after you read. I'm going to put some stuff in the lower AN to explain some of what goes on. To the uninitiated, it may seem kind of confusing. **

* * *

"What..." Jaune muttered in confusion.

_Why's he calling me that? I've never heard that name before... _

A shiver ran down his spine at the mere mention of the moniker. It was something wholly foreign to Jaune, but to this other vampire, it seemed like he was meeting an old friend. This familiarity left an unsettling impression on the boy, despite what he had already noticed oozing from every pore of the stranger's body. Even his demeanour, straddling the point between madness and something else unfathomable to the human psyche rested for just this moment. However, this crazed look in his eyes never changed; only staring at the boy like he was a piece of meat.

No, it was a glare of absolute and pure disgust. As if he saw Jaune as some lower lifeform akin to an insect or rodent. Something to be destroyed like the pest he was.

"Is that not your name, _boy_," the stranger asked, smile retracting. His tone calm, but holding back his anger behind a thin veil. When he didn't get an immediate response, the man cracked his knuckles and took a step towards Jaune. The pace slow and without rush, only deliberate. His patience already worn thin. The man's sneer creeping back across his lips.

The gravity of the man's aura intensified as he grew closer to Jaune. Seemingly like a constant pressure always bearing down on the blonde without end. A heavy weight pressing against every inch of his skin, feeling as though it was about to suffocate him. This unbearable sensation not yielding in the slightest as Jaune tried to still himself.

He attempted to take a step back to put some distance between the two. However, the man followed in pace. His aura only growing stronger.

It began to tear at something deep inside of Jaune. Something buried within his core that it just wanted to rip out of his body. This otherworldly oppression seeping into Jaune like a ghostly miasma. This pulse reverberated within him like a high-intensity shockwave. The air within his lungs even vibrating simultaneously.

It grew more powerful until the point Jaune felt as though he would be thrown away from the man like a piece of garbage in the wind. The boy's entire body succumbing to weight behind the stranger's aura. No pain shooting through his body, only a weakness growing with every second Jaune spent in his sight.

_Fuck... What the hell is this?!_

The boy's heart began racing a million miles a second. Adrenaline coursing through his veins at an unprecedented rate. His fight or flight instincts starting to kick in. The sensation of panic beginning to take hold as a consequence.

_Shit..._

Jaune feared for his life now. He had never even considered the danger of going to the source of the aura. This guy was stronger than any of the other vampires he encountered. On an entirely different level than them. They shouldn't have even been in the same league.

The strength this single man possessed was akin to that of an army. Hundreds. No. Thousands could not stand to oppose him even if they threw every weapon in their possession at him. He was a monster from the firery pits of hell that crawled out to prey upon the night.

_Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck... Do something! _

"HEY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT," Jaune shouted at the top of his lungs nearly stumbling over a piece of rubbish. He held his hands out, gesturing to give it some extra emphasis. "I-I DON'T KNOW WHO'S LEONHART!"

It was something. Maybe this guy would figure out that Jaune wasn't some threat to him? It was possible the boy could talk him down from outright killing him. He could show the man the circumstances behind his predicament. Jaune only needed a few minutes with him to learn more about being a vampire.

It did get the man to stop in his tracks. The stranger's sneer disappearing almost instantaneously, falling back to a flat line. His eyes even showing a slight bit of surprise at Jaune's ignorance. The man's entire body relaxing as he stood straight up. However, another smile crept across his lips, stretching from ear to ear.

"Heheheheheheheh... hahahaHahaHa... _HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAH..._ _**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH**_," the man cried out, going from a light snicker to a burst of insane laughter that caused Jaune to nearly fall on his ass out of shock. His entire upper body leaned back at his waist, beginning to laugh into the air like a complete madman. Both of his hands came up to his chest, gripping the rags he wore in some subconscious motion.

"_**OH, HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HIS NAME**_," the man spat out in between laughs, trying to control himself as he fell back forward, hunching over at the waist. Both arms wrapping around his stomach, obviously feeling some ache from such powerful laughter. Even in his eyes, several tears crept out, showing how hilarious this situation was to him. "_**WHAT A RIOT!**_"

The man's laugh echoed deep within Jaune's body, shaking every fibre of his being. Insanity found in the most bottomless darkest pits of the mind where none dared to tread. This maddening expression on his face was one of a person having lost all sense of his prior self. He was no more beast than man. They were all one and the same.

_Fucking move... We need to get out of here!_

Jaune tried to transform into the shadow mist, but he couldn't. No matter how much he tried, there was no way he could pull it off even if he begged. It was the man's aura again. It sapped his strength when compared to Weiss', which caused him pain. A potent poison that corrupted his soul.

It rendered him paralysed. Not even his diaphragm could expand any longer. This poison had crept into every muscle in his body and shut them down. Jaune was now a haphazardly stacked pile of cardboard boxes to pushed over had this man chosen.

_Fuck..._

Jaune had felt it. He knew about this. Why hadn't he fled as soon as this sensation became present?

A few seconds later, the man was finally able to stuff his laughter back down his throat. He wiped the tears out of his eyes and composed himself, gliding a hand over his rags to flatten out the wrinkles. A few errant laughs escaped, but only as a ghost of their predecessor.

"_**So, this is Leonhardt**_," the man scoffed to himself, approaching Jaune once again. His aura no longer flaring for some reason. It allowed Jaune to get a breath of air once more. However, his body had yet to come around and move, still feeling the after-effects of the paralysis. "_**Some little baby bird who hasn't even learned how to use his wings? What kind of joke is this?!**_"

He suddenly turned his head to the side as if someone was standing there next to him. The man's expression becoming disgusted or more aptly dissatisfied with the phantom's reply. His jaw clenching hard enough to leave an impression in steel as to not shout back at the ghost. The man's body language projecting the sensation of anger towards it.

Jaune took the opportunity to retreat from the situation. He needed to get as far away from the vampire as possible. The range of the aura was a few hundred feet at best. All Jaune had to do was clear it and phase into a mist.

Taking that first step, however, was an arduous one. He tried to take one step back to find his legs were heavier than blocks of steel. Using all of his strength to move one of them left his bones creaking from under the immense pressure. Any harder and Jaune's femur would have snapped like a twig.

"_**It doesn't matter**_," he continued, nearly yelling at the phantom. The man turned towards Jaune, focusing all of his attention on the boy. His aura once again bearing down on him, causing Jaune to nearly crumble under it. "_**You know what... I'll go easy on you. Hell, I can do this with one hand behind my back...**_" He cracked his knuckles once again on both hands. His smile reappearing once again. "_**If I'm this much a sportsman and you still don't satisfy, I'll have no choice but to kill you outright...**_"

"_**SO, LET'S GO YOU BRAT!**_"

Without warning, the man shot forward faster than Jaune could see. His entire body turning into a blur of white streaks as it rocketed towards him. All the boy could ever hope to make out was the oncoming shape of his fist. This superhuman speed backed by the momentum of an oncoming freight train all heading towards his gut. There wasn't even enough time for Jaune to raise his arms in defence.

_FUCK!_

The moment the fist impacted with the Jaune's stomach, a loud crack rang out. The air between the two objects exploding outwards into an almost visible ring. The hoodie covering his torso shredded into a fine mess of thread, having been obliterated by the sheer force behind the punch. Jaune's body nearly folded itself over the man's fist as the limb's inertia caused them to remain in place as the rest of his body became thrust backwards.

"Hachk," Jaune cried out in pain, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Something burst within his lower abdomen at that moment. The force rippling through his body had torn some organ to pieces, possibly ripping it in half with no effort. Maybe his spleen or a kidney? Jaune was sure if the punch had been any harder, it would have gone straight through him. Even worse, he may have been torn in half by the blow alone.

The pain from the strike to his gut was enough to cause the boy to pass out for several seconds. His awareness of the situation vanishing almost entirely. This searing pain emanating from within his torso dwarfed the sensation of Weiss' aura entirely. As if he was being skinned alive with a fillet knife.

Following through with his brutal uppercut, the man carried Jaune until the point the force from his fist sent the boy flying. He was launched into the air with little no effort on his part. A mere flick of his wrist would have done as the same.

Jaune felt himself leave the ground, and suddenly the man appear to be growing farther and farther away. His hair obscuring his vision as all of it blew in the opposite direction of his flight. He had no warning for how quickly he would be thrown, seeing all of this happen in a fraction of a second. Before Jaune knew it, he hit something. And he smashed into something hard.

A flat surface made from a material that should not have yielded to the boy, shattered under the momentum behind Jaune. The brick and steel crumbling in the wake of his arrival. The first wall being smashed inwards without even slowing Jaune down. A massive cloud of dust kicking up and obscuring his vision even further. He tumbled from the impact, hitting the ceiling of that floor like a freight train, blasting a man-sized hole through the drywall and wooden planks.

For the next several floors of the building, Jaune rocketed through them without pause. Even smashing into a steel i-beam did nothing to stop him, bending the pole until it snapped like a twig. Those occupying the building were not spared from the destruction following Jaune. Their screams and cries echoing out above the cacophony created by the collapsing structure.

The boy flew until there was no building left in his way, erupting from under the roof and opening a hole for the starlight to pour in through. Jaune was barely able to make out the apartments collapsing as he compromised its structural integrity. The entire building beginning to crumble from the top down. More and more dust was thrown up into the air blocking out the form of the structure entirely.

As Jaune continued sailing through the air, he felt his flight coming to an end. The momentum carrying him began to slow, stopping at the height of his arc. His entire body now feeling gravity force him back to earth and accelerating his fall. The stars were no longer as close as they used to be, suddenly a fleeting form in his view.

The lights from a city street began to shine in Jaune's peripheral vision, indicating he was close to impact. A streetlamp racing by the boy prompted him to tense his body up in preparation for his landing. Then the moment of truth came as Jaune smashed into an object unfortunate enough to be in his way.

The car's roof crumbling inwards broke Jaune's fall but nearly flattened the automobile. Its alarm blaring out into the night sky, filling the boy's ears entirely. Pieces of broken glass and car parts became littered all over the street. Even the undercarriage of the vehicle was blown out, burying itself into the asphalt below.

Jaune could only lay there as his body took the time to recuperate. There was no pain. Not a single drop left in his body. He felt nothing. Not even the desire to fight back. His emotions escaping his grasp entirely. A void, entering his body where they used to reside and taking their place.

Was he killed by this blow? This single attack erasing his mind and body from existence. Then why was he still here? Was he now a ghost forced to wander this plane in limbo?

_Come on... Get up..._

Jaune tried to push himself off the vehicle but found his strength to be lacking. His arms and legs were now gelatin. Every bone in his body now some paste no longer capable of supporting itself. Blood oozing out of dozens of wounds where some of his bones had even broken through the skin. The most prominent being a metal rod sticking out of his gut.

_Can't move... Fuck me. I can't die here..._

He looked back up to the night sky to see another object approaching the boy. It was the figure of a man. Jaune focused his eyes on this incoming missile, finding it to be his quarry. One of his fists cocked back, ready to bring it down on the boy as he still lay there. His insane laughter and expression of extasy undeniable.

As the man got within a few feet of him, Jaune's body seemed to move without the will of its pilot. Almost as if by pure instinct. No way could this have been his doing. The boy throwing himself from the vehicle in a single leap, touching down twenty feet away. Jaune's legs holding him up despite their injuries.

No, their injuries did nothing to hamper their ability to support themselves. Jaune could not make the conscious effort to push himself up because he did not think he was in danger. A simple glance to his wounds and the boy found them beginning to heal once again. He grabbed the bar in his stomach and wrenched it out of him, pulling away from his body. The bar now clean and free from blood.

In that same moment, the stranger slammed his fist down on top of the car where Jaune used to be, utterly annihilating the vehicle with ease. It exploded into hundreds upon thousands of pieces. The asphalt and concrete around the impact cracked and turned into dust. A shockwave pushed Jaune back a foot due to the sheer intensity of the collision. Every window within a mile was shattered as the shockwave carried on throughout the town.

Jaune brought a hand up to shield his eyes from any debris and the intensity of the flames. Their blistering heat cooking the upper layers of his skin slightly, only alleviated by Jaune's lack of pain.

Continuing to stare at the fire, Jaune could make out the form of a human waltzing out. The man still keeping his pace deliberate and slow. As if he was in no rush for this battle, savouring every moment of conflict. Jaune feeling a set of crazed eyes and a predatory grin focusing on only him.

"_**It looks like your reflexes are rather sharp as well**_," the stranger declared from within the flames. His voice overtaking the roar of the fire. A ghostly feel to his speech, unnatural to put it simply. Something else allowing him to speak over such a raucous without exerting himself. Magic possibly? "_**I am impressed... I am glad I was fortunate enough to have found you. Wouldn't you say the same, Herr Leonhardt?**_"

_Fuck... T-This guy's insane!_

Jaune took a step backwards, nearly falling to the ground. All of his senses blaring every known alarm conceivable to his mind. A cold sweat running across his body. Heart threatening to beat out of his chest. Every limb shaking in fear, expressing how terrified Jaune was at this moment. He was standing in front of a real monster.

"Fuck," Jaune gasped, turning around and attempting to run. His legs carrying him as fast as possible away from the scene. He only needed to shift into his mist and hope to lose this guy. There was no way he could win here.

A single glance back and Jaune couldn't see the man standing in the fire anymore. He was nowhere to be found, having vanished into nothing.

"_**If you are not going to fight back, I will just have to kill you**_," a voice growled from behind him.

Jaune slid to a stop, finding the man to have appeared a foot or two in front of him. An unamused frown on his lips. Jaune let out a frightened yelp, almost falling over once again. The stranger rolled his eyes, acting as though he had seen this before. The expression of fear seemingly no longer entertaining to this beast.

Jaune was just about to take a step back and run in the other direction when the stranger cocked back his left hand. Before Jaune could react, it sprung forth, delivering a brutal backhand to his left cheek. The force behind it was merely a half-hearted blow from the stranger, but to Jaune, it was a freight train smacking him right in the face. A loud clack emanating from their point of contact.

The blow threw Jaune off his feet, tossing him nearly twenty feet to the right. His body slamming into the asphalt several times, rolling across the surface with no attempt to stop himself. He was simply a ragdoll, going where ever the momentum took his body. Both his arms becoming torn to pieces by the rough surface of the road, ripping the upper layers of his skin away and exposing the muscle beneath.

He was only stopped by slamming into another vehicle. A parked sedan taking the full brunt of the impact. It's driver door getting caved in by Jaune's right shoulder, shattering the window above as well. The entire vehicle nearly tipping over from the transfer of energy.

Falling back down to his side, Jaune coughed up some more blood, spitting it out onto the ground without a care. His mouth was full of the gore from a busted open cheek inside the cavity. The boy couldn't even feel half of his face anyway. His body had taken care of the pain and ridding him the feeling.

A glance down at the pool of blood beneath him caused a growl to rise from within his throat. Jaune's entire body becoming hot with rage. A blistering heat that would scorch the earth and turn it into a plane of hellfire and brimstone. His desire to protect everything he had from assholes like this vampire taking precedence over any fear he may have had.

_**I'm not going to die here...**_

_**FUCK THAT!**_

"_**What's wrong**_," the stranger asked, leaning down to meet the boy face-to-face. When he didn't get a response, a smile stretched across his lips. "_**No words for me?**_" He cocked his head to the side. "_**How do you American's say it? Cat got your tongue?**_"

That tease prompted Jaune to fly into a rage. Throwing himself to his feet, the boy charged at the stranger with a scream. His body pushing itself beyond whatever limits it had to clear the distance between the two. In a fraction of a second, Jaune was on the stranger, cocking back his right arm for a brutal haymaker.

The stranger stood to meet the boy, not reacting in any way to this attack. Only a smile on his face, finally getting the action he so very much craved. Jaune's fist flew at the man's face, aiming for just under his left eye. A wide-open shot left for the boy.

"_**Rrraaarrghh**_," Jaune screamed as he made a move to drive his fist home. His anger poured into every ounce of his swing, summoning whatever strength he had available. An ocean's worth of fury to draw upon. His entire being put into that single blow.

The moment the two made contact, a shockwave rang out from under Jaune's fist. This explosion kicked up dust and dirt within a twenty-foot radius even going so far as to cause the asphalt below the two men to shake violently. However, the bones in Jaune's hand could not withstand the pressure being put on them. From his knuckles to the rest of his forearm, every bone within the arm shattered like glass. A single sharpened chunk of bone exploded from underneath the muscle, breaking out at around the halfway point on his arm. Blood spilt out from all of the wounds once again, staining the ground with a brilliant crimson shower.

Jaune let out a scream as the nerves in his arm signalled to the brain that everything had broken. It felt like he had punched a solid block of granite with the force of a truck behind the blow. This pain being greater than everything he had ever experienced before this moment. His healing factor had not yet kicked in, taking several more moments before it could even begin doing its work.

A quick glance to the man found that he had not even moved an inch. No mark finding a place on his pearlescent skin. Not even his hair had a single strand disturbed. His smile growing even wider since Jaune had last checked. He had finally found some fight in the boy and took every moment to savour it. A part of that elated expression had to be from the fact he baited the boy into throwing everything he had at him.

_What the fuck?! I didn't even scratch him!_

Jaune's eye widened the moment he found the man to be perfectly fine. The boy leapt backwards nearly forty feet to put some extra distance between the two once again. His arm quickly mending itself and snapping the bones back into place. The pain still there. However, the boy quelled his rage and took to this problem with a clear and open mind now. His punch hadn't even done any damage, leaving Jaune to search for a weakness.

"_**HAHAHAHAHhaha**_," the man let out a short laugh, brushing off the dust on his clothes. "_**You've got some spunk in you, Leon... I will give you that! But did you really think I would be killed like a lesser vampire?!**_"

The man bolted towards Jaune without warning once again. His left hand leading the attack with a haymaker similar to the one Jaune threw. Like his first attack, the stranger moved with inhuman speed, even surpassing anything he had shown Jaune before. The man was beginning to let loose, breaking down any limits he set himself.

_Shit... _

Jaune clenched his right hand, finding that his healing factor had finished the job. His fingers had their dexterity back at least.

_Okay Jaune, we have no idea how to fight this guy! Hitting him is like punching a block of stone... _

As the stranger threw the punch, Jaune shifted his weight to the right, ducking under the fist. He barely made it past the attack, feeling it nearly tear his cheek off. The air displaced by the fist powerful enough to ruffle the boy's hair. Even the sound of it felt like a handgun going off next to his head.

_Holy crap! I actually dodged that one!_

Jaune didn't know where his own speed was coming from. He could see every moved this guy was making too. Everything felt like it was slowing down for him. Or that his reaction to the man's attacks was getting better.

_Probably some vampire stuff! Not saying no to it! _

_Need to dodge his attacks then?_

The boy pushed off from his half-crouch below the man's armpit and leapt a few dozen feet away. Jaune's entire body feeling like a feather to him. He touched down gracefully, sliding to a complete stop and turning to face his opponent.

The man had followed through with his punch, catching himself at the last second having realised there was nothing there. He paused, standing back up and planting himself on his feet. The stranger's body language indicating he was confused.

"_**Indeed... This battle is becoming rather exciting**_," the stranger said to himself. Jaune wasn't sure who he was talking to as the man had yet to turn around a face him. "_**However, I also see you are no longer interested in running...**_" The man whipped around, staring directly into Jaune's eyes with a snarl on your lips. "_**SO, SHOW ME YOUR FULL POWER, LEONHARDT!**_"

In that instant, he vanished completely. Not as in fading away like he crumbled to dust, but literally disappearing in the blink of an eye. A cloud of dust and dirt kicked up in the place where he once stood. This prompted Jaune to immediately go on the defensive.

_Where the fuck is he?_

A shuffle came from behind Jaune. His right ear perked up, and the boy reacted just in time. He twisted his body enough to allow for a glancing blow from the stranger to connect with his shoulder. The left deltoid taking a majority of the damage, tearing out a chunk from the muscle.

Jaune winced as a searing pain shot through his entire body. That left arm now coated in blood as the vessels below the skin were roughly sheered. Its warm ichor running down to his fingertips. The limb rendered limp as the muscles were too damaged to bear its weight.

Shaking his head, trying to rid himself of the pain, Jaune dashed to the left in an attempt to avoid the stranger's next attack. The boy could feel him shifting to make a follow-up.

_Need to bust out Crocea Mors! _

_Can't keep this up forever..._

However, despite Jaune's efforts, he was far too late. A shin slammed into his solar plexus, abruptly stopping the boy in his tracks. At the same moment, Jaune could feel his legs and pelvis crack and nearly shatter in that instant. Every ounce of blood in his body flew outwards from that point. The liquid forcing itself into every capillary within his outer limbs.

It was such a force, the asphalt crumbled from the shockwave released in the epicentre. More dust becoming kicked up and obscuring Jaune's vision. More and more windows or any remaining glass merely crumbled from the vibrations they were subjected to.

Jaune couldn't even tell if he was feeling any pain. His entire body shutting down and letting itself go with the blow. There was no point in trying to wrestle out of that.

The stranger's kick lifted Jaune off his feet and directed him upwards at an angle. Again the fleeting image of the street filled the boy's vision. The sight of the stranger bearing an amused grin appeared moments later, watching his foe's flight.

Before Jaune could even begin his descent, he smashed into an object just behind him. A piece hanging in the middle of the street caught the boy in his upper back, causing him to tumble forwards and to the ground. His vision blackening, continuously drifting in and out with his consciousness. The approaching asphalt only just appearing to the boy.

Jaune slammed into the ground, landing on his stomach. The fall nearly knocking him unconscious completely, however, breaking more bones than he had already. Each of his arms snapping like twigs, exposing the bone within his right. The boy's face bore a large cut above the left brow. This laceration coating a majority of his mug with sticky gore. His upper back broken with a significant amount of vertebrae crushed.

A street lamp collapsing next to him brought Jaune out of his daze long enough for him to realise what had happened. He tried to move, only finding there was no feeling in his legs. His entire lower body not responding to anything. The panic began to set in immediately, forcing Jaune's heart rate to skyrocket and his lungs to attempt sucking in air.

However, his diaphragm refused to expand, nor would it contract. Every moment passing left the boy with less oxygen and more carbon dioxide beginning to build up in his blood. The body's response was to start a series of metabolic pathways leading to the emanation of sheer terror from the boy. His throat contracting and his mouth jerking open only to get nothing in return.

_C-Come on... _

_Please..._

Tears began pouring out from beneath Jaune's eyelids. His emotions finally beginning to well up and break the dam they had been hidden behind. The boy who was scared of what he became showing for the briefest of moments. His fear of death and the idea he would not see another day. Everything he had gone through, breaking him down into a sniffling child.

The sound of a footstep drew Jaune's gaze up to the man. His expression one of disgust with what he saw beneath him. Kneeling down, the stranger grabbed hold of Jaune's throat and lifted him into the air. His fingers digging tightly into Jaune's oesophagus.

"_P-Please_," Jaune croaked through the fluid building up in his throat.

"_**QUIET**_," the stranger barked in reply, gripping Jaune's throat more tightly and threatening to crush it.

"_**You disgust me**_," he began. "_**To think you were counted among our number sickens me!**_" The man clamped his hands down on Jaune's throat once more, shaking the boy as he did so. "_**For that reason, I have no choice but to kill you, and then wipe this town off the map!**_"

The stranger cocked his arm back as far as he could manage. Every finger in his hand rearranged themselves to make a rough point. Their destination clear. His intent was solely to dispose of Jaune like a piece of trash.

He thrust his arm forward, plunging it deep into Jaune's chest. His left flank erupted in a geyser of blood as his heart had been pierced. The pain shooting through what little part of Jaune's body that could still feel anything. The terror now fully set in, causing Jaune to silently cry to himself.

_No... _

Jaune's consciousness faded in and out. The stranger held the boy there, observing his last moment with a straight face. His unsatisfied expression making it seem like this battle was more of a chore. He must have only remained here to make sure the job was done.

"_Leon..._"

_What?_

Jaune could hear a voice coming from somewhere. A ghostly whisper from a wandering phantom. This spirit speaking into his right ear at a frequency only Jaune could listen to. Its voice reverberating, yet, allowing for their tone to be dissected.

It was the voice of a young woman. Her tone was sultry, bordering on sweet. As if she were whispering to her lover. Her voice that of angel's. Sounding so innocent, yet, full of passion. The most beautiful thing Jaune had ever heard. Nothing could compare.

It brought a faint chill up Jaune's spine. His hand began to throb uncontrollably. A gentle burn starting manifest within his palm. Pain surging throughout his body all at once.

"_Leon..._"

A hand grazed Jaune's own. The phantom's dainty fingers intermingled with the boy's. Her palm pressing tightly against the vampire's.

Their touch bringing with it a storm of emotions Jaune could never even hope to put into words. An electrifying sensation that flowed through the boy's very soul. Such that, he cried once again, ignoring the pain that bore down on him from this fight alone. Anything compared to this rapture meant nothing.

_**My shackles crumbled before me.**_

_**Their chains decaying with a phantom's touch.**_

_**I watched as the figure fled into the shadows.**_

_**A sensation left in its wake most astounding.**_

_**Something nary experienced by mortals in life.**_

_**Their touch, their scent, their kiss.**_

_**It all came to me in memory.**_

_**A dream most wonderous, most decadent to the soul.**_

_**Suddenly, the world seemed to reform from this profane darkness surrounding me.**_

_**At that moment, I lost this feeling.**_

_**This rapture leaving a scar upon my heart.**_

_**I then promised myself to seek out this sensation,**_

_**So that I may once again feel their grace.**_

_**To behold their beauty once again.**_

_**To protect that destiny to which I am seeking,**_

_**I promised that none would stand to oppose me.**_

_**Their wills would wither and rot into dust.**_

_**The strings of fate would even be cleaved in twain.**_

_**This most unholy of benedictions would be given form.**_

_**Crocea Mors. Most blessed.**_

_**Arise and do your master's bidding.**_

Crocea Mors manifested from within Jaune's right hand. The arm still weak and broken from the fall. He ignored it all for the sake of his desire. Gripping the blade with every ounce of his strength, he swung upwards from his flank, allowing the weight of the sword to do its work.

The tip of the blade sliced straight through the man's elbow. A geyser of blood spilt out from within. The severed arm dropping Jaune to the asphalt below. The boy landing on his side, still unable to use his legs to hold his own weight. Crocea Mors vanishing the second Jaune was free, crawling back into his right hand.

Without the man's hand around his throat, Jaune was able to breathe in only slightly. His shallow breaths bringing some precious little oxygen his body so craved. It was enough to stave off him passing out completely.

However, Jaune didn't know what was going on with his healing factor. It was working fine only a few minutes ago. Now it was taking forever to heal a few broken bones. This left him vulnerable despite inflicting a single wound on the other vampire.

He looked around for said vampire. A pair of feet standing in front of his prone body told Jaune the man was still up. Only a trickle of blood was moving, though. The stranger just stood there.

"_**HaHahahahaha**_," the man laughed lightly. His voice sounded like he had been told a joke. "_**I see you have unlocked a familiar... This was not a waste of time, after all**_." He turned around and began walking away. "_**We shall meet again, Leonhardt... I leave my blood as a parting gift!**_"

He vanished only seconds later.

...

Jaune wasn't sure how long he had been laying here. His body slowly put itself back together once he had some of that guy's blood. It wasn't enough, though. Every inch of his body felt sore beyond all belief. The first few times he tried to push himself up, Jaune fell back down onto his face.

_Okay, Jaune... You can do it... _

He rolled back over and used his hands to push himself off the ground. Jaune stumbled but throwing his right leg out gave him some stability. From there, he gracefully lifted himself up and onto his legs. Like a newborn giraffe.

Up on his feet now, Jaune took a look around. The city block had been devastated by the brawl. Sounds of sirens roared from all directions, telling the boy he was short on time. Jaune couldn't even search through the debris to see if there was anybody still alive. Fleeing the scene was his only option.

_We can think about this later Jaune... Let's just get back home... _

He shifted into his mist form and quickly fled the scene. It only took a few minutes to reach his house, but Jaune was feeling the exhaustion starting to pile on. He only just made it through his window and closed it behind him before passing out right in the middle of his room.

* * *

**First of all. Deus ex Ghostima. Add one sin. **

**But seriously, it's just Jaune's magic having a greater influence on him. These familiars Jaune is going to encounter will have a lot going on with them. Their manifestations are due to his desires. They are basically an extention of what Jaune is right now, and what he is going to be. **

**You may need to look at some stuff related to Dies Irae (The VN) for it to make sense. I'll try to explain it as best as I possibly can. **

**There is a lot of metaphysical shit this stuff entails. **


	10. Beyond Human

**Sorry about the last two weeks of being MIA. I had a bunch of tests that I needed to study for. I actually put some decent work into To Those Who Survived The Fall, and The Lengths We must Go To. Both chapters are half done or three quarters the way there. Not in that order. I'm also an asshole who couldn't put his goddamn phone away and focus on writing. Now I've started locking it inside of my drawer, so I can type out 2k words a day, which was the average for this chapter.**

**Pretty simple breakdown today. Jaune's taking it easy this morning. You'll notice some subtle changes of his as the chapter goes on. Character building, and stuff like that. Not every chapter is going to be a grand Dragon Ball Z or Superman versus Black Adam destroy half the city fight. Lots of little moments between friends and if you can pick up on some things, you'll notice stuff going on in the background. **

* * *

"_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww_," Jaune groaned as he stirred from his slumber. The carpeted floor beneath him muffled his speech so it could not project into the adjacent rooms.

His entire body throbbed with pain as an aching sensation ripped through his muscles. The feeling a well-tenderised piece of meat should experience when one goes at it with a heavy hand and an even heavier mallet. This pain coming on stronger than any workout Jaune put himself through. Even muscles that shouldn't have been sore were so.

_**You're lucky he wasn't 'that' kind of vampire...**_

_**A certain muscle would have been sore if he was...**_

Jaune's right eye opened suddenly as that voice entered his mind, being greeted with the bright light coming through his uncovered window. He shut it almost immediately, feeling the sun's rays far too overbearing on his poor body. The rest of him didn't appreciate the gentle warmth it cast on his right shoulder, preferring the cold tile of his bathroom floor. However, he made no attempt to move from where he lay. Jaune was content with this spot for now.

_Really? You again? _

_You know what... Fuck it! That really doesn't matter right now_...

What did matter was what happened last night. That vampire recognised him for some reason, calling Jaune by a name he had never even heard of until then. There was also that ghost or whatever it was showing up and saving his ass.

Jaune had no clue what happened at that moment. It could have been a hallucination because he was about to die. People see shit like that. Their bodies are trying to keep them alive, and with all of those hormones rushing through their blood, certain images or entire dreams appear. Stuff they wanted to see or believed they would see. His body could have even been on autopilot while he was dreaming that whole thing up.

However, Jaune could still remember how her hand felt in his. It was an odd sensation. Something that felt 'right.' He had never experienced anything close enough to compare it to. Frankly, few things could make for an apt comparison.

Jaune couldn't feel anything in the room with him at the moment. The only time he knew she was around was when his palm started burning or when he heard her voice. A part of Jaune wanted to wait around and see if it came back.

_**Do you see the ghost lady right now? **_

_No... _

_**Or does she only come to you when you're alone?**_

_No..._

One thing Jaune did know for sure was other vampires a lot stronger than him were running around. The Stranger didn't even try to put up a proper fight when going against Jaune. He beat the boy down without trying. Not breaking a sweat as he did so.

Jaune was fortunate the vampire didn't use any magic weapon in their fight, or he may have been killed on the first shot. In fact, the excitement in the vampire's voice told Jaune he wasn't expecting him to have a weapon such as Crocea Mors. It was likely that the vampire didn't have one either. That would be a best-case scenario for Jaune if it turned out to be true.

If there were more vampires like that guy, then Jaune had a way to wound them at least. Not the small fry that Jaune found the night he claimed Crocea Mors. A little kick from the boy sent that one guy's head tumbling. So he might not need anything to fight them if it came down to it. If Jaune went up against another vampire like the Stranger, then it was probable his fists wouldn't do anything to them, however.

_If I run into another vampire like him again, then I can't expect a ghost to come to my rescue. Crocea Mors is the only thing that works, so I need to build off that. _

_But how? I don't know where to start. Why did he call Crocea Mors a familiar?_

With a heavy sigh, Jaune decided to put off any planning until later this evening. Anything he could come up with now wouldn't be tested until he had some free time on his hands. Jaune just needed to go through the motions again like he had yesterday. Avoiding Weiss was the top of his priorities. Jaune didn't need to have any incidents that drew attention to him.

Attempting to lift himself off the ground, Jaune positioned his hands below him as one would do when performing a push-up. However, as he pushed his body off the ground, Jaune was literally thrown from the floor all the up to the ceiling of his room. The boy's back slammed into the drywall, creating a loud thud before he fell back to the earth, causing a similar crash.

"_OOOOOOOoooooowwwwww_," Jaune groaned out loud once again. "_Goddamnit!_" The joints in his arms and legs cried out as he finally came down on the carpeted plywood floor. His lungs had the wind knocked out of them as Jaune's diaphragm took a good portion of the fall.

_What the hell was that?!_

The sound of knocking on Jaune's door brought the boy's attention away from the pain in his body. He looked up at the hatch, preparing for someone to come in. Starting to panic, Jaune actually began to scramble to his feet and go for his bathroom to find some cover. He knew he was still wearing the clothes he had on from last night. There was no way he could explain why he looked like a homeless man that just got into a fight with a tiger.

_**So much for not drawing attention...**_

"_Jaune_," a voice that sounded like his mother came from the opposite side of the door. "_Are you okay?_ _What was that sound?_"

_Fuck! _

_Okay, Jaune, lie your way through this..._

"Nothing," he replied loudly enough to get through the door. "I-I just tripped!"

A few seconds went by without any sound whatsoever. Jaune began to believe she hadn't bought it.

"_Okay then_," his mother replied with no audible tone. "_You need to hurry up if you want to head off to school with Ruby_."

_Shit... This is not going well. Can't be late for Ruby... _

_**Ah yes, can't be late for the obligatory angsty walk to school session! **_

Taking a few careful steps, Jaune made his way across the room, trying not to throw himself through a wall. He grabbed his Scroll off the nightstand and flicked it on. The time on the screen read that it was almost six in the morning. Not late but getting there.

Jaune glanced to the spot where he had fallen asleep on the floor. There was no noticeable stain or mark that he left there. Only some dust and dirt that could be done away with later. This left him free and clear of all obstacles.

_Need to get ready... _

...

Ducking into the bathroom, Jaune shut the door behind him and turned to face the mirror. The first thing he needed to do was survey the damage from last night. He couldn't go to school looking like he had gone twelve rounds with Frazier. Or, more importantly, with a hole in his chest.

The first thing Jaune did see was how damaged his hoodie was. The entire thing no longer just a hoodie. It looked like something a dog would do to a blanket or a rope. The cloth hung off his body by a single band over his right shoulder. His t-shirt below was not any better. Both caked in dust and probably a lot of asbestos.

At least it wasn't his Pumpkin Pete hoodie.

However, every spare inch of exposed skin was covered in dust as well. Jaune's hair was absolutely caked in it and had he shook his head it would have gotten dirt on everything.

_Nothing a shower can't fix..._

Jaune leaned in to check where the vampire had skewered him with his hand. The wound seemed to have healed up, closing entirely as if nothing had happened. It still felt tender to the touch, giving the impression it hadn't finished the job completely.

_**Most people are like that after some nice penetration action!**_

With his healing factor diminishing in capacity throughout the fight, Jaune was afraid it wouldn't have healed all the way. The hole was barely closed when he got back to his house. However, whatever was in that albino vampire's blood seemed to do the trick. It just took longer than it had before.

_Maybe it's just blood that lets me regenerate? But how the hell do I get up to where that other guy was? I couldn't even hurt him, and he took Crocea Mors like it was nothing!_

With a groan deep in his throat, Jaune tore off the rags he had been wearing and dumped them in his wastebasket. He would take care of them later, making sure no evidence was left behind. There was enough of that laying in the middle of downtown Vale right now.

_Knowing my luck, I just found Count fucking Chocula or some shit from the invincible vampires club... _

_What if other vampires like him have familiars? _

He looked down at his right hand, inspecting the palm where Crocea Mors was held within. Jaune recited the poem he got when first summoning the blade in his head, hoping it would at least bring the sword out in case he had to defend himself. However, he got nothing. No burning in his hand from the forge's fire or body-wide throbbing of pain.

_Great..._

**[Dining Area]**

Finishing up with his shower, Jaune put on all of his clothes and grabbed his stuff for school. Luckily his scraggly looking appearance aided the boy in not having to spend too long getting ready. He just dried his hair and then headed downstairs where he found a small paper bag sitting on the kitchen counter. The upper portion of the bag neatly folded and then rolled tight with his name inscribed in ink towards the top.

_I guess Saphron made me a lunch... I'll take what I can get. Means I can avoid Weiss when I go to lunch. _

He grabbed the bag and headed past the kitchen for the front door. Everyone else seemed to have cleared out for the morning, leaving him and one or two of his sisters somewhere in the house. Jaune didn't mind since they wouldn't distract him. However, a broadcast on the television drew the boy's attention away from leaving.

_**"Last night, authorities responded to a massive explosion emanating from within the residential district of Vale. What they initially reported as a gas explosion levelled several buildings, possibly injuring or killing several hundred people. At this moment, rescue teams are still attempting to sift through the rubble in the hopes they can recover any who are trapped beneath. This story is still developing, and we at the VNN will continue updating you as we receive new information." **_

_Well, the cat's out of the bag now... _

_Hope they can't trace this back to me. I didn't kill those people anyway. That was on 'him'..._

_**What, no mourning for the dead? No feeling sorry about yourself and complaining about how you killed all of those innocent people?! **_

Jaune shook his head and continued pressing on. Ruby and Yang would be waiting for him. The boy was actually looking forward to this day and wouldn't let anything spoil it. So long as he kept his head down and stayed away from Weiss, it would turn out like he wanted.

...

Opening the front door to his house, Jaune was greeted with the sight of Ruby and Yang standing on the sidewalk. The blonde seemingly impatient about something, tapping her foot against the concrete and staring down at her bare wrist. Ruby, however, looked as if she was bored verging on worried. It wasn't until Jaune closed the door that both girls turned their gaze upon him.

"You're late for the six o'clock 'walk to school meeting,' Vomit Boy," Yang opened loudly, cocking her head to the side slightly. "By five minutes and thirty-two seconds exactly! So, what do you have to say for yourself?!"

_Okay..._

Yang's tone didn't sound like she was serious about it. Just making fun of him because he was finally late for once. Jaune would have laughed if he wasn't feeling so tired right now. The nickname 'Vomit Boy' irked him, however.

"I woke up late," Jaune answered truthfully, leaving out 'certain' details. He brought a hand up to the back of his neck. "Rough night..."

Yang cocked her head to the opposite side, getting a good look for herself to appreciate Jaune's condition. Her expression scrunched up as she thought about it.

"Oh yeah..." she said, sounding like she understood his meaning. "You ain't lookin' too hot..." A Cheshire grin suddenly crossed her lips, hinting at some possibly lecherous thoughts. "Wanna play hooky?"

"_YANG_," Ruby abruptly cried out loud. An annoyed expression growing on her face. Both fists clenched and adopting the most adorable posture she could manage. "You can't skip school! Dad will kill you! And stop influencing Jaune! He missed enough already!" The lecture over truancy prompted a snort from the blonde to the younger girl's anger. Ruby continued going in on Yang while Jaune watched, beginning to walk ahead with those two following behind him.

_I didn't know you were my mother, Ruby... _

But the idea sounded so tempting right now. If he could go back to sleep, Jaune would have probably woken up tomorrow morning fully rested. He really needed it but had to forego that route to keep up appearances. Some fleeting part of the boy still wished to play the role of Jaune Arc instead of giving in to the wants of his body.

"Ohhhh, what's one day off," Yang replied with a question, gesturing with her right arm. "Really?" She emphasised her point using her hands. "Sometimes we just need a break every now and then! And I'm not talking about just skipping school without anything to cover it up with!" The blonde gave the two another look, trying to convey her meaning. "Because 'they'll' know... You catch my drift?"

"Yeah..." Jaune agreed, unsure of his actual stance on the matter. If he put too much thought into the question, he may pass out in the grass for a long nap.

"I guess..." Ruby seemed to half-heartedly agree. She clearly wasn't fully on board with the idea, but agree with her sister's logic. "But you two can't skip school! I won't allow it!" Ruby then put her foot down, making her position known. A finger pointed at both blondes made the two well aware of who she was talking about.

"Killjoy..."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

**[Beacon: Ruby] **

Reaching the Academy gates, Ruby glanced to her left, watching Yang tell a joke or some kind of story to her fellow blonde from the sidelines. The two laughed as her older sister reached the punchline. Yang letting out her booming laughter that was full of life, but Jaune's seemed much weaker than his typical chuckle. Restrained and the exhaustion in his voice was obvious. Clearly, he was trying to play along as best as he could.

She could have chalked it up to Jaune's claim about not getting a good nights rest, but she felt there was something more there. However, unless Jaune was willing to talk about it (which he still wasn't), then Ruby didn't want to pry. There were two plausible reasons for why Jaune wasn't feeling well, and Ruby knew both of them. More than likely, it was something about Weiss.

_I don't think Pyrrha worked... _

That had been part of the original plan to get Jaune and Weiss to make up. Pyrrha was supposed to go and be this tough love figure, forcing Jaune to actually confront the issue. Ruby thought it would make some progress. It may have done something to push their goal forward, but the ravenette couldn't know that until anything actually happened.

That meant they were going for Ruby's plan just to be safe. Plan B through F right now because they had nothing else really going. Their little brainstorming activity did nothing to come up with anything substantial that would definitely work.

The buzzing of her Scroll brought Ruby's attention to the device. A text from how it felt as the phone was on silent mode. She withdrew the Scroll, checking the name of who sent the message and making sure Yang didn't notice. The older sister would have teased Ruby over trying to hide something on her phone, suspecting it was a message from a boy.

The first thing she did notice was Weiss' name attached to the text. That prompted Ruby to immediately open it to see what she sent her. The ravenette had been wanting to talk to her about what to do with Jaune anyway.

_W: Ruby, I'm standing to the right of the front door. _

Ruby looked upwards, scanning the front of the building from left to right. She was quite a distance away, so things were not as clear for her eyes. The figures off in the distance were almost silhouettes. Maybe the colour of their hair was noticeable, but other features were not, their faces morphing seamlessly into a smooth shape. Except she couldn't see Weiss.

Another buzz came from her Scroll.

_W: Behind the rightmost pillar, you dunce. _

_Oh... _

She turned her gaze to where Weiss had specified. Lo and behold, there was a person's head sticking out from behind the column. Ruby could actually feel their eyes on her, making the girl feel kind of creeped out.

It was kind of like a stalker scene from one of Jaune's manga that he totally doesn't know Ruby swiped from under his bed. The character wasn't hiding the fact they were following their quarry, but you could clearly see them tucked behind a nearby corner. It was meant for comedic purposes, but the main characters and their friends were kind of freaked out.

_Could you be any less obvious about it, Weiss?_

The figure off in the distance seemed to leave their hiding spot and head into the main building. She must have not wanted to draw attention to herself when Ruby went to go follow. The off-centre ponytail gave away her identity, however. Not very many others could pull it off like Weiss. Pyrrha maybe, but not anybody else.

Ruby turned around to find Yang and Jaune looking at her. The boy's expression telling Ruby he'd just seen Weiss. You could clearly see it in his eyes like he had seen a ghost or something. Yang was not too far off, encouraging Ruby to go find Weiss and giving her the cue that she had Jaune.

"Um... I-I have to go meet up with Weiss, so I'll see you later," she squeaked, before turning and heading off. The last thing she'd seen was Jaune's expression relaxing a bit as he brought a hand up to his neck.

...

Crossing the entire courtyard of Beacon was uneventful. The short girl had to weave through the crowds as there was no way to push through them. Nora and Ren had said hello to her, and the girl replied without stopping, making her words brief and implying she had to go do something. When she came upon the front entrance of the Academy, Ruby ducked inside and began looking around for Weiss.

_Where are you hiding, Weiss? _

As Ruby scanned the room, she noticed the Heiress had been standing a few feet off from the door, trying to conceal herself from view. Ruby could tell she was nervous about something. Whether it was about the subject at hand, she had no clue. Weiss did know of the conversation that was going to take place in a few moments, so it wasn't going to be sprung on her without warning.

"Howya doin' bestie," Ruby spoke up with a wave towards the even shorter woman. She hoped her cheerful demeanour would offset the doom and gloom going on between her friends.

Weiss cracked a slight smile at Ruby's greeting, keeping her gaze downcast but did meet her friend's eyes occasionally. She started heading off further down the hallway, and the ravenette followed. The Heiress was trying to limit the chances of running into Jaune, but Ruby decided to play along with her for now.

"Um, fine," Weiss said meekly, making Ruby's own social awkwardness take second place for once. Her hands were down by her waist, fidgeting nervously as if she was being called into Ms Goodwitch's office for doing something bad.

"So, how long were you watching us," Ruby asked, almost teasing the girl.

The response she got was Weiss' cheeks flushing a dark red colour. It put Ruby's favourite red hoodie to shame. The girl's pale skin making her embarrassment that much more obvious. Ruby swore she could see the heat coming off of Weiss' ears as blood rushed into their capillaries.

"I-I wasn't watching you guys," Weiss stuttered, trying her best to deny it, but Ruby quickly saw through the charade. "I saw you and _Arc _arrive and didn't want him to see... me..." The last part of her speech was mumbled to a degree one could barely hear it. Keeping it down for any walls that possessed ears.

A part of Ruby relished being the one to dole out the teasing for once and not to be the one receiving it. However, she would have preferred this teasing to be from well-meaning fun instead of trying to bring up the mood. Had all of their friends been together still, they could have crowded around the lunch table and made these jokes like they used to.

"Are you sure~," Ruby asked in a drawl, sinking her claws into the Heiress. Her tone mimicking that of Yang's own teasing voice. If this didn't draw out the truth, then Weiss wasn't going to admit it.

"I am quite sure, _Ruby_," Weiss replied with a bite to her voice.

Ruby cringed at this, realising she may have gone too far. However, without any further words, it felt as though she were in the clear. With the library coming up, the ravenette urged Weiss to head inside with her following close behind. There were places they could talk privately without any disturbances.

...

The two found a table tucked somewhere in the back of the library. This spot had nobody else around with how early it was in the morning. It allowed Weiss to calm down a bit and loosen up. Ruby was thankful for the air to have thinned some as the mood was becoming overbearing.

"So, you mentioned a plan that would help with making Arc 'feel' better," Weiss asked, still keeping her anxious behaviour. It was toned down enough she could make conversation, so she was progressing.

Weiss herself didn't seem to buy into the concept so readily. The promise of there being a plan, not the idea itself. Her caution coming from clear prior experience with this whole debacle. Anything she agreed to would have to perfect and guaranteed for success before undergoing it if involving her directly.

"Yep," Ruby chirped, planting her hands on the table. Her voice holding a harsh-sounding whisper. "Yang and I have been working on this since yesterday!"

"I'm afraid now," Weiss jested, eliciting a guffaw from the ravenette. Ruby had to slap her hands over her mouth to conceal her laughter so they wouldn't be kicked out of the library. "Anything you two come up with is bound to be ridiculous."

"_Heyyy_, we're not that bad," Ruby whined, feeling the burn at her plan making skills being thrashed. "We thought really hard about this. You're not the only one who wants to fix things!"

Weiss' brain seemed to catch up with what she had said. Her mouth hung open slightly, and her face flushed due to embarrassment.

"No-no-no, I-I didn't mean it that way," she corrected herself, sounding like she meant it. Her hands waving in front of her for emphasis. "I meant you and your sister's plans are very _eccentric_!"

Ruby let out a snort seeing how the Heiress did a complete one-eighty. The show of humour at Weiss' change seemed to calm her down for the moment. With everything that happened between her and Jaune, she was being more careful with her words. So, Ruby needed to show Weiss that no harm had been done.

"It's fine~," Ruby blew it off, expressing her point in a way to make this look like it wasn't a big deal. "Don't worry 'bout it! Yang and I got this covered!"

The two had been working on this idea of their's since yesterday. With Yang's experience as the social butterfly and Ruby's degree in Jauneology, they had put together a plan that would make one great leap towards Jaune's recovery. For all intents and purposes, it was perfect.

"S-So, what is the plan," Weiss asked curiously. A faint glimmer of hope in the girl's eye. She was really looking forward to the idea now.

With a grin on her face, Ruby began to lay everything out. No elaborate tricks or gimmicks, just a simple plan.

"Okay, Weiss," she started, clapping her hands together. "First, me and Yang will go out and buy supplies." Ruby numbered things off with her left hand. "Snacks, drinks, comic books, maybe a board game... Then, this weekend myself, Jaune, Nora, and Ren will go to a fair that's opening for a night of fun. The next night, we'll get together again at Jaune's house and play video and board games, watch movies, and eat lots of unhealthy junk food!"

The look on Weiss' face as Ruby finished detailing everything was one of disbelief. Like she was so stunned by the idea, there were no words in her vocabulary to give a reply. The slack-jawed stare from the Heiress remained unchanged for several moments, making Ruby wonder if she had fried the girl's brain.

"Wei-"

"_That's your plan_," Weiss interrupted Ruby with a question. Her tone was borderlining on utter panic right now and sheer anger. The girl's hands came up to cover her face, and she let out frustrated shout into them. When she finished, Weiss glared at Ruby, dropping her hands back down onto the table. "Your entire plan just sounds like a way to go out on a date with _him_!"

_Date?! _

"Spphhhhfffffff," Ruby blew out all of the air in her lungs at the sudden accusation. Her face drained of all colour and simultaneously flushed at the same time. The little girl suddenly became red hot with embarrassment coursing through her veins. "W-What d-d-do you mean?! I-I never thought about that! W-Why would I want to go out on a date with him?!"

_Crap! Oh crap! Did Yang play along with this just to set me up?! _

_Of course, she would! _

Ruby never thought about it that way! She didn't know others would assume her plan was like that! Ren and Nora agreed without any hang-ups. The two were actually excited about it. The night was supposed to be about having some fun and removing the sting from Jaune's wound.

"_Uggghhh_," Weiss let out a groan of frustration, getting up from her seat and starting to head out of the library. "We need to get to class, Ruby... We can discuss this later!"

Ruby got up and followed the Heiress. Her cheeks blushing brightly still. She made no effort to hide it from any other students. The girl just walked briskly through the library, trying to keep up with the Heiress and pleaded her case to the girl.

"_Weiss, _I swear it's not what you think," Ruby yelled from behind her. "It's supposed to be a baby step!"

**[Jaune: Two Hours Later] **

"_Yo, Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune_," a woman called to the boy in his slumber. It was accompanied by something else poking his cheek repeatedly. "_Vomit Boy..._" Another poke followed. "_The love of my life..._" Another jab on his cheek. "_Daddy..._"

Jaune finally cracked open his eyes. His vision was still hazy as it adapted for the darkness behind his eyelids and shielded from the light by his arms. It took a few moments before he could see anything clearly, but he could make out that the lecture had ended. His fellow students heading for their next class.

Another jab at his cheek drew his attention to the person sitting next to him. The blonde mane and lilac eyes of Yang were the first details Jaune noticed. Her entertained grin was next, finding some enjoyment in whatever she was doing right now. The girl's face leaned down to his level and less than a foot away from Jaune's.

"Okay, Yang," the voice of Pyrrha came from his left, trying to curb the blonde's antics. "I think he gets it now... But, 'Daddy?'"

"Hey, P-Money, desperate times call for desperate measures," she retorted, grabbing her stuff and beginning to stand up. "If you want a guy's attention, just call him that and he'll come running like Zwei when I have a biscuit."

_I don't think that's true... _

Disregarding his knowledge about Yang's ramblings, Jaune began to rise from his spot. However, as he stood to his full height, he felt something sitting on top of his head. He reached up and pulled a paper hat off his hair, holding it in his hands for a few moments. The boy pondered how it got there, but assumed the perpetrator was Yang.

_I shouldn't have fallen asleep... Just closed my eyes for a bit. _

Aside from the fact, Jaune still wasn't sure how his whole 'blood lust' thing went; he didn't know if his body would act on its own and try finding something to drink. It had happened once before, leaving the boy slightly afraid to sleep anywhere unless it was at his house. With his body depleted from whatever made his regeneration work, the above could have taken place for his body to regain some fuel.

What happened at Jaune's house was in private at least. This was in public where hundreds of people could see him. There would have been no way for him to cover up his actions. He was thankful nothing had occurred this time.

Jaune wasn't worried about sleeping through the class, however. This was Port's biology class first thing in the morning. Two hours of wanting to stab an ice pick into your ear is what it should have been called.

"Yo, Sleepyhead," Yang spoke up again, getting Jaune's attention. "Let's go! We've got gym!" The blonde passed by the boy, tapping him on the shoulder. "Mr Grape will make you run suicides if you're late!"

_Ugghhh, gym class... _

This is was something else Jaune was hoping to avoid. Not because of the fat kid trying to climb the rope but can't trope. He could do the stuff required by his teachers and somewhat enjoy himself. Only his body didn't think it was up to the task today. The soreness had set in, making it difficult to stand up or sit down properly.

Not to mention he had the same gym class as Weiss. So far, the boy had been able to avoid her by sitting on the opposite side of the room with one of his other friends like he was now. She took one look at him during the start of their class and dragged Ruby off to sit away from him. Jaune figured she didn't want to see him just as much as he didn't want to see her.

It was fine with him.

"Jaune..." Pyrrha spoke up this time. Her voice filled with concern. She carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"

_Shit... _

"Huh, yeah, I'm fine," he replied, making it sound like he was caught in the middle of a daydream. He flashed Pyrrha a smile, hoping to get her off his back. "Thinking about something..." He turned, quickly grabbing his notebook and bags, following Yang and Pyrrha out the door. Blake was already standing at the room's entrance waiting for them.

_Can't keep getting caught like this... _

Jaune could play it off but didn't want people asking if he was all right constantly. There were things he'd rather not discuss right now.

"Thinking about my awesome origami skills," Yang asked, turning around to face him. She seamlessly navigated the halls without the use of her eyes. "Been working on that for a while!"

"The entire class," Blake corrected, falling back to Jaune's right side. Pyrrha on his left.

"Yeah... What else am I supposed to do, Blakey," Yang questioned the faunus. "Port can see a phone from a mile away but doesn't notice someone reading her smut and Sleepyhead here takin' a nap. Couldn't sleep, and I don't see anybody packing some more 'erotic literature.'" She finished her statement, making her voice sound snobbish and what someone might suspect a pompous rich person to sound like.

"_It's not smut..._" Blake said under her breath. Jaune could hear it clearly even if she were whispering.

Blake was known for reading some rather 'risque' novels. Her tastes probably somewhere in the ballpark of a middle-aged woman who got interested in a particular book about a rich dude seducing some woman or something like that, and then dragging her into his BDSM fantasies. Although her choice of literature was far better than that novel, usually featuring an actual plot and charismatic characters.

"_Anyways_," Yang labouringly continued, bringing an arm up vertically to stretch out her right lat. "Vomit Boy. You got any plans this weekend? Dates? A rendevous with your paramour?"

_Plans? _

"No..."

"_What_~," Yang said, making it sound like it was no surprise at all. "No pretty girl wanting you to sweep her off her feet?"

Jaune's spine stiffened slightly at the tease. His luck with girls, including Weiss, wasn't great. Never actually getting a date or merely being the palate cleanser for one of his sister's friends.

"Yang..." Pyrrha stepped in for Jaune before he could. Her town indicating this was a subject to be avoided right now.

"Come on~," Yang pleaded to the red-head, disregarding her warning. "Pyrrha, what's wrong with asking? Heath love lives, and putting yourself out there every once and a while is great for you."

_She's not wrong... _

"You're one to talk about a love life," Jaune riposted, finally getting his own jab in. "Ruby said you haven't been on a single date this entire semester..." His words eliciting a blush from the blonde who buried it quickly. It actually made the girl take a second to think of something.

"One, that's cold," Yang began, pointing a finger at Jaune. "Two. Ow, you have wounded me so..."

"Yang's actually shot down a lot of guys," Blake piped up, adding to the case against of the bombshell.

"_Blake_!" The blonde sent a glare to the faunus, blushing hard as she did so. Her gaze trading back and forth between Jaune and the ravenette. Yang didn't continue until she sent a look for support to Pyrrha. "P-Money, help me out here?!"

"Ummmm," she muttered, not being able to come up with something to say.

"Lie for me..."

"Oh yeah, totally... Lot's of dates..."

"Lie convincingly..." Yang half-heartedly pleaded, knowing the jig was up. She let out a short breath of air, slumping her shoulders and deflating. "...Traitors... _Both _of you!"

Just as Yang went to turn around and save herself from this failed conversation, her heel became caught on some errant object. For Jaune, everything felt as though it slowed down, watching Yang begin to fall backwards. Just like his fight yesterday, he saw everything as if it were at quarter speed. Funnily enough, he managed to catch Yang change expression to the closest an 'oh shit' face one could get.

He reached out to grab her, taking a step forth just as her body began to descend. Jaune wrapping his forearm around her lower back, preventing her plummet from continuing even further. Though the look of surprise on Yang's face at how quickly he reacted left Jaune feeling mildly satisfied. He wasn't expecting this speed out of himself either.

With the girl resting in his arm, Jaune allowed her to take a second to regain her footing. Yang had actually clamped her hands down on his free arm, trying to catch herself in the panic. Although, with how close the two were, this could be construed as an intimate moment between them. Jaune was mildly uncomfortable with grabbing her waist like this. He could feel the muscles flexing beneath her jacket as they worked to hold her upper body up.

What Jaune took a liking to, however, was her smell. The look of her neck was seemingly perfect with the smooth white skin covering her jugular vein. Jaune began to salivate with the mere thought of that blood. He could take a small dri-

"So, is this the part where the knight and princess kiss," Yang asked nonchalantly. Her jest ripped a blush out from beneath his cheeks, causing the boy to look off in some random direction to evade her eyes. However, it led him to see Blake and Pyrrha staring at the two with smirks on the lips. Pyrrha had a slight blush on her cheeks, however.

_How do I walk this back? _

"Okay, dropping you now," Jaune said, nearly letting go of the girl.

"_Don't you dare_," Yang yelped in a panic. She reacted immediately, grabbing his right arm and pulling herself up. Jaune played along enough to lend his limb as support. Her weight almost nothing for his arm to carry.

Once on her feet, Yang smoothed out her uniform so no wrinkles could show. Finished, she ran a hand through her pristine hair, presenting her appearance as if nothing had happened at all.

"Okay, shall we continue," Yang asked, turning around and heading off. This time without falling. The rest of her group simply followed behind. "Oh, nice catch by the way..."

**[Football Field]**

The students of Beacon Academy descended upon the football field for gym class. Everyone standing in their uniform, waiting for things to begin. A pair of black running shorts and matching tank-top with the Academy emblem on each. The field itself was littered with small cones designating where each of the activities was supposed to be located at. Jaune and the rest of the mob stood around the starting end of the hundred-metre sprint track.

Today, there was one of those physical fitness tests that American high schools seemed to be obsessed over. Run the mile in under a certain time. Do at least one push up or pull up if you could manage it. Beacon, however, went the extra mile and had students perform other sport-related tasks. Something about seeing if there was an ounce of talent they could extract from you. So, sprinting, throwing sports, or playing a small game of football to see your skills was on the platter.

Jaune could smell the stench of blood on the air. About a hundred or so people were standing withing forty feet of each other, so it was expected. Someone was bleeding. From where? Jaune had no clue. He didn't care all that much. His body wasn't reacting like it did yesterday with Weiss, so things were about as good as they could get.

He looked around, finding Yang and Pyrrha to his left. Blake was standing there too, pretty much playing the part of the third wheel. No smell from them. Perfume and deodorant, yes. But no blood. He turned away, keeping his movements as normal as possible, so he didn't attract attention.

Ruby was about five or so feet away. Her back to Jaune. He could see the flowing silver mane of Weiss on the other side despite her being shorter than Ruby. No blood on them aside from what was inside. He could hear their conversation too, however. A part of him just listened in for a moment.

"_Weiss, what are you doing?_"

"_Shut up, just stand still_..."

The sounds of turf crinkling beneath her feet followed. Jaune could clearly see Weiss shuffling half an inch over, vanishing on the other side of Ruby. Clearly, she was trying to hide from someone.

_**You, asshole... **_

_Thanks, I didn't need you for that revelation... _

Jaune turned away, trying not to give the Heiress any more attention than she wanted. The sounds of the crowd changing tune indicated things were about to get started up anyway. This would be his chance to attempt sitting out for the day.

The appearance of Mr Grape on the track signalled all of the students to shut up and get in order. He was an older man about in his late forties, sporting an undercut dyed purple like his namesake. His demeanour was a lot like Jaune's own dad as he was a former soldier.

"Okay, _everybody_," he shouted loudly, but enthusiastically. His tone that of a student giving a pep rally speech. "We're gonna start the day off with the hundred-metre dash. The rest of you go with your teachers to other fields, and we'll rotate when we're done!" With his order, a good portion of the students started spreading out and heading to every corner of the compound. About half in total. "First up, Arc, Nikos-"

_Shit..._

Jaune tuned him out upon hearing his name. He still recognised the names of a few others. Those were some of the fastest sprinters in the entire school. It wasn't unusual for the boy to paired up with those far outside of his skill level.

"Hey... coach," Jaune interrupted the man hesitantly, sporting a redness on his cheeks. Believe it or not, this was rather embarrassing for Jaune to try getting out of gym class. "Can I... sit out for today? I'm not feeling up to it..."

The man cast an annoyed look towards the boy. "You have a doctor's note," he asked, raising an eyebrow. The boy shook his head in return. "Are dying right now?" Jaune shook his head at that, unsure if being a vampire meant you were dead or not. "Then get out here! This is part of your grade, after all!" His statement caused a bunch of students around him to start giggling.

The forceful push of Yang from behind, caused Jaune to step out onto the track. He sent a chilling glare back at her and got a smile in return. The boy resigned himself to his fate, getting into the available space between another student and Pyrrha.

"_If you're not feeling well, why didn't you go to the nurse's office_," Pyrrha asked in a whisper to the boy. She kneeled down onto the starting block, getting into position.

"_Stupid guy thing_," Jaune replied, getting into a similar position as his friend. "_Thought I was fine earlier and tried ignoring it..._"

An exhale from Pyrrha marked her thoughts on it.

The coach gave his signal for all of the students to begin. Each shot off like a bullet immediately getting the message as did Jaune. His first few steps clumsily put, but he managed to get back on his feet in proper form.

Those missteps had Jaune in the back of the pack. He could see Pyrrha to his right and all of the other students hitting the ten-foot mark on the track while he was still near the start. Jaune pushed his body a little harder to actually show some effort, ignoring the ache in his limbs and breaking out into a full sprint. In his focus, Jaune tuned out everything around him and stared solely at the end of the track where the finish line would be. All he had to do was embrace the suck for a little longer, and this would be done.

What felt like moments later, Jaune crossed the track to stunned looks from his fellow students. They stared at the boy like he was some sort of mutant. Like he'd grown a third limb. It wasn't until Jaune turned around and looked back at the others, he realised what had happened.

The other students were still sprinting as fast as their legs could carry them. None had gone farther than the halfway point on the sprint track.

What scared him more than anything was the coach running at him full speed, shouting at the top of his lungs like he'd just won the lottery.

**[Ruby: A few minutes prior] **

She stood around with Weiss at the end of the sprint track. The two and a few others were volunteered as the official timers for the first batch of students. Ruby had Jaune and Weiss had Pyrrha. Now the girls were just twiddling her thumbs, waiting for their time to return to the mob.

"Weiss, are you still mad about the plan," Ruby asked out of the blue. Well, not out of nowhere. She'd been thinking about it the entire time during Mr Port's class. Suffice to say, her notes were really lacking despite Weiss' insistence she paid attention.

"No-YES-_no_..." the Heiress said, changing her tone and expression from flat to embarrassed to just giving up finally. "_I don't know..._"

"There-there..." Ruby reached over and patted the top of her head. Weiss made no attempt to swat the palm away. When the ravenette was satisfied, she took her hand back from the blushing Heiress, and the two stood in silence for several moments.

"Do you really think this is going to work," Weiss finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"_I have no idea_," Ruby fervently declared, shooting Weiss a smile. The Heiress let out a sigh, realising how in the dark they were. "Ren even said he didn't know if it would work..."

"That's a ringing endorsement, Ruby..."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"No..."

A whistle from the other end of the track gave the cue for the girls to get ready. Another signal prompted them to start their timers with the students beginning their test.

_You got this, Jaune!_

Ruby watched Jaune nearly fall flat on his face after the first step. The girl cringed internally, feeling embarrassed for the boy. However, he got back up and into the race, starting to sprint as hard as he could. The other students were a ways ahead of him, but he began catching up with them despite being outclassed in athletic ability. Not too long after, he passed right by Pyrrha and everyone else, completely smoking them once he pulled ahead and into first place. Not even two seconds later, Jaune was crossing the finish line with what should have been a cloud of kicked up dust behind him.

Looking down at her timer, Ruby clicked the stop button, accidentally allowing it to go on too long. Even without accounting for the error, the display read that Jaune ran a less than seven-second hundred metre dash. Ruby had waited two seconds too long to hit that stop button.

"Weiss," Ruby said. A gobsmacked expression on her face. "Did you see that?"

"I think I'm seeing things," Weiss replied with a similar expression and tone.

_No way... _

Jaune just ran a five-second hundred-metre dash. That should have broken like every record in the entire world! Ruby couldn't believe what she just saw. Her best friend had outrun Pyrrha Nikos! _Pyrrha Nikos_! The fastest sprinter in the school and probably in the entire state! Maybe even the country!

Ruby was ready to run right up to Jaune and excitedly throw herself at him. This was probably the greatest achievement he had ever accomplished. A star in the making. However, what stopped her was the change in the boy's expression.

His face went from confused to surprised, then when Coach Grape came charging down the track, it turned into an almost fearful expression. Like he'd run into Weiss in the hallway again. The colour drained from his skin, leaving his cheeks pale and sickly looking.

He backed away from the coach, and towards where Ruby and Weiss stood. Before she could react, the timer was accidentally knocked from Ruby's hand by Jaune and crushed under his foot. The evidence destroyed completely with nothing to definitely confirm what they had seen.

Ruby was about to look to Weiss for suggestions when she realised the girl had vanished into thin air. Jaune was still here, trying his best to collect himself and grabbing painfully at his chest without making it obvious. His expression shifted back to its casual and goofy smile when the coach had finally made it over. The older man dragging Jaune off, shouting something about why he wasn't on the goddamned track team.

_What just happened?!_

* * *

**So, Jaune has gotten to the point where he can sprint faster than an Olympic track athlete. Pretty slow considering that German Vampire can do a Naruto Flash Step. **


	11. The Experiment

**Helle everybody! I am back! **

**So, if you haven't followed my other stories, I posted last week that due to the C-virus outbreak things have been a bit crazy out here. I lost two weeks of time due to that damn thing because my college closed down and all DOD personnel are on a travel ban, so I had to fight to get my stuff back from my college dorm. So, I now take online classses, which is a plus though.**

**Also, my cousin caught it too because he works in a hospital cafeteria, so that's going to be pretty interesting. He's fine right now though. **

**In other news, a review from the Guest known as Guest asked if Jaune was going to get a partner in crime. And he shall. **

**A Seras Victoria to our Alucard. A Rubedo, Nigredo, and Albedo to our Gold.**

**I've also started reading some Faust, so we might see some influence coming up in this story.**

**One more thing, I have also renamed all of the chapters and shall name them from here on out. **

* * *

Jaune lay on his back, staring into the night sky. His left leg hung off the building he perched himself on. The boy's face was expressionless, yet, calm despite the former. His mind elsewhere and in deep thought.

This whole day had been a nightmare for Jaune. That damned gym class just put the boy in the spotlight once again. People were asking questions Jaune didn't have any answers too. They were speculating on the reason behind this change. Frankly, the events of yesterday's fight didn't have as much fallout as this morning. How the hell was he supposed to live that down?!

Sprinting faster than a group of students comparable to Olympic track athletes would have anybody asking questions, right?

Of course, it would. Especially if no one had ever seen that kind of speed from the boy before.

Jaune asked Ruby what time he got and that surprised him even further. The fact he shattered a world record should have been a great thing anyway. Except, this left him with a sour taste in his mouth.

Luckily, Ruby didn't gush over it. Not like Pyrrha, despite it being kind of unusual for her. His childhood friend practically lost her mind when the realisation hit. Jaune couldn't remember Pyrrha ever acting like that. It would have been funny had they been playing a board game or some strategic exercise.

She was the worst out of everyone Jaune knew.

The rest of his friends, save Nora, were either confused as to what happened or left the boy alone. The bubbly Valkyrie hounded the boy for a while, claiming Jaune to be a superhero in the making before Ren pulled her off him. Anybody else who came up to Jaune wondering how he managed to outrun Pyrrha like that didn't have their own Ren on hand.

_How the hell am I supposed to deal with this? _

_Any sage advice, voice in my head? _

_*Crickets Chirping*_

_Great... _

_Never here when I want him, and always shows up at the worst times..._

With no reply from the voice, Jaune let out a loud huff of frustration at his abandonment. The boy instead decided to focus on the task at hand. He threw his right leg over the edge of the roof and sat on the precipice of the alleyway below. Not a soul around aside from himself and the sounds of the city.

He had come back to the area where he butchered those gang members a few days ago. Not the same alley since that was cordoned off by the police, but one of similar make. Pretty much every corner and street of this city had some form of back-alley like this one. Most large metropolises did. One just had to choose from the options.

The reason for Jaune being here was to get some blood, however. That battle with the German Vampire had depleted everything he had in him. The small pool the man had given the boy for his troubles wasn't enough to allow Jaune to use his familiar, so he had to replenish. It was just a matter of waiting for someone to wander into the alley he perched himself above.

Waiting for someone to walk down the wrong alley was only part of tonight's plan. The end goal for this evening was for Jaune to experiment with his abilities. Really, it was to see how far his body could go and what changed since last night.

Any information would be helpful right about now. If Jaune had to deal with vampire hunters sometime in the future, it would be best to know his limits. Crocea Mors especially. If that was going to be his killer app, Jaune needed to understand every facet of the object. More than how to use it, but how to take advantage of the rules surrounding the blade.

_Hopefully, it's not just a sword... _

Lo and behold, someone did come waltzing down here off the beaten path after two hours of waiting. A woman by the looks of it. She seemed like she was in distress, holding her purse close to her body. The click of her heels rapid in pace. As if she were trying to fast-walk away from someone.

While observing the girl below, two men appeared at the end of the alley. The woman thought she could have gotten away by dipping down this corridor but instead stupidly trapped herself inside with no way out. She realised this, backing into the wall and staring at her pursuers. The men didn't mind this, calmly strolling towards the girl who looked to be having a panic attack now.

"All right," one of the men began. Clothing more akin to rags, giving Jaune the impression he may have been some kind of drug addict. This idea reinforced with the circumstances. "Hand over the purse, and we can avoid the rough stuff."

_Heh. At least he's considerate. _

Continuing to play bystander, Jaune noticed the first man's friend beginning to grow antsier. He seemed to be the more rash one out of the two. Confirmed as he went for a knife in his jacket without warning and used his other hand to grab onto the straps of the handbag.

"_Give it up, bitch_," he shouted, tugging back hard. His strength was not enough to rip the bag away. Only earning himself the fearful cries coming from the girl.

_I know where this is going..._

Having seen enough, Jaune slid off the edge of the building and allowed himself to fall nearly thirty feet to the concrete below. He crashed into the ground, landing on both feet with no injury whatsoever. His body absorbing the shock despite a fall that would break a man's legs from that height. In fact, his graceful descent made it seem like his body was but a feather.

Yet, the sound of Jaune's shoes hitting the pavement warned the men there was another party in their midst. The participants in this mugging looked to the entrance of the alleyway, finding a figure standing before them. With the light to his back and another above the boy, his face was entirely shadowed beneath his hood.

_Get out of here... _Jaune used his head to direct the woman to leave.

She wasted no time running out from behind the man with the knife and out of the alleyway. Jaune waited for her to leave entirely, hearing her heels click against the concrete until they went around a corner. As she disappeared, the boy withdrew his hands from his leather jacket and took his first step.

_Heh... They're humans. _

Jaune was sure of it.

Had they been vampires, the boy would have known immediately. He couldn't smell anything on them aside from their putrid body odour and the scent of blood. The antsier one was the worst of the two, sweating like he'd been sitting in a sauna all night long.

Not the higher quality prey Jaune was used to, but they would do for tonight's purpose. He just had to make this quick in case the German Vampire was around.

As Jaune approached the men, the knife-wielder thrust his blade towards the blonde's abdomen. The point of the knife came at the boy in what seemed like slow motion. It was just like the fight he had yesterday, time nearly stopping in Jaune's wake.

He sidestepped the attack and clamped his left hand down upon the offending wrist. The pace in which this took place, left the man looking around cluelessly only to find a vampire staring directly into his eyes. To him, it was if Jaune became a blur only to reappear right next to him. A show of superhuman speed.

The Vampire smiled, showing a set of fangs off to the man. His expression immediately contorted into a fearful one.

Jaune pulled the man forward and off-balance, causing him to stumble gracelessly. Before he was allowed to fall to the ground, Jaune cocked back his right arm, balling his hand into a fist at the same time. There was no warning for the man to react as it sprung forth and directly into his chest. The punch made contact with a loud crack emanating from within, and the force behind it picked the man up and off the ground.

He was sent sailing back into the brick wall, crashing into the solid surface. The hard face did not allow him to pass through it, stopping him midway through his flight. The mugger only stayed there for a fraction of a second before cartoonishly sliding down and onto the floor. As he fell to the ground, he slumped forward dead. Killed instantly from a single blow.

The second man saw this go down and decided to run for it. Jaune turned around, watching him get about ten or so feet on the boy before doing anything about it. He looked around for anything to use, only finding a wooden broom handle. The haft snapped just above where a mop head would have been.

Jaune took the broken tool in his right hand, cocking his arm back like one would when throwing a javelin. He made one step forth before rocketing the rounded end at the fleeing bandit. It sailed through the air like a bullet would, slamming into the man's back and passing straight through him.

This piece of wood carved a perfect hole in the man, barely slowing as it exited his body. Jaune watched the pole continue past a pair of bystanders and across the street. Its final destination was a brick wall where the wooden haft buried itself nearly six inches into the face.

_Gotcha!_

The man stumbled, having just been speared through the heart. He reached for his chest where the hole was, realising what had happened. Still, he continued to flee, making another two or three steps before his legs gave out. The man fell to his knees before collapsing on his side. From there, Jaune could no longer hear him breathing.

As everything settled down, Jaune acted fast, phasing into his mist-form and scooping up both men. The three forms quickly ascended up and beyond the rooftops in a matter of seconds. The swarm of bats continued onward until Jaune found a suitable location off in the distance. His sights set on the suspension bridge hanging over the bay.

Even with the weight of two grown men, Jaune did not feel burdened by it in his mist-form. It was like they were weightless to him. Or simply, this form did conform to the same standards as his natural body did. By means, such as magic or something unknown. Jaune did not have the knowledge at hand to understand the reasons. Only that this phenomenon did occur.

...

After what felt like mere seconds, Jaune touched down on top of one of the bridge's towers. The one closer to Vale and the bay itself. Here, he dropped the corpses on the ground, allowing them to land with a splat. Blood draining fast from one of the bodies.

Jaune decided to take care of the man he impaled first, picking him up by his collar and turning his head to expose the jugular. The boy grimaced slightly from the smell as his enhanced senses picked up far more than he wished. The corpse smelling like really old cheese.

_I feel like I'm gonna throw up... _Jaune forced himself to hold back a gag, taking in a deep breath of air away from the body. _Come on, Jaune... You can do it!_

Getting over with it, Jaune bit down on the man's throat, penetrating the skin with his fangs like a syringe. The blood immediately began flowing, filling his mouth and getting taken up into his fangs. Luckily, this taste was so much better than the smell the boy was picking up. Had that not been the case, Jaune would have thrown up right here.

Soon, the man's blood began running dry. Most had been lost due to his wounds, but there was enough there to be worth the trouble. As the flow dried up completely, Jaune dropped the corpse off to the side. When it hit the ground, however, he heard a splash. The boy looked to his feet, noticing the pool that had formed below him.

His body didn't even wait for his mind to catch up. Jaune fell to his knees and leaned forward, nearly licking up the blood before he stopped himself.

_Are we really doing this? _

He may be a serial killer at this point, but Jaune still had standards. Licking up blood from what was probably one of the most bird poop encrusted surfaces in the entire city was pretty low. Lower than killing two drug addicts and another serial killer. Those two just balanced each other out at this point, actually.

_No, I can't... _

As he moved to pull away, Jaune noticed the pool beginning to shrink in size. Like with his regeneration or when he killed those gang members. All of the pooled blood on the ground started travelling into his hand rather quickly. Jaune continued to watch as the ground soon cleared itself of any trace of evidence.

_So, it doesn't have to be on my skin either. I just have to touch blood to make it work. _

_Cool. That's good to know._

That meant Jaune didn't just have to drink the blood either or cover himself in it. A parting glance with his hand was all that was necessary. This new discovery led the boy to consider other options instead of having to bite someone to gain blood. Perhaps killing them with his sword was all that was needed?

Jaune stood up as the blood pool was finally dried up. He looked down at his arms to see the gore even penetrating his father's leather jacket. A fact he hadn't been aware of yet. It didn't seem to have to be just cloth or skin to absorb blood. Somehow it managed to bypass the leather and make it to the other side.

_What if there's something else I'm missing here? Need to play this safe just so I don't lose anything. _

The Vampire did a once over of the scene before him to make sure there was nothing else amiss. There was no more blood acting oddly on the ground. No shadows following him with the figure of a woman. The corpses didn't seem to be getting back up either. Even the one Jaune just bit. However, as he scanned the area, the boy noticed something on the first body's neck.

_What's this? _

Jaune turned him over to expose the wound again. This time, the bite mark had changed. Instead, of two holes where his fangs would have been, it was now a bite similar to that of a shark. A single band of torn flesh with individual teeth marks he could make out. This was on both side of the man's throat as well. Jaune had not meant to cut into both sets of jugular veins.

Backing away from corpse again, Jaune reached up and into his mouth to feel his teeth. Indeed, they had changed. Jaune could feel that every one of his teeth were now a pointed tip. Some were veering off to the side a bit, but all were similar in direction.

_How is that possible? My teeth were perfectly fine earlier. I knew I just had fangs too. _

_Maybe this is something else or another version of my fangs? They couldn't have transformed that quickly... _

Jaune shook his head, not knowing the mechanism behind this. He decided to put off trying too hard to think about it for now. There was still another corpse to take a bite to drink from.

And it was a damn fine night to do so.

...

Finishing up, Jaune rolled both men to the bridge's edge. Where they stood, it was probably a couple hundred feet down to the water below. Nothing in terms of evidence aside from a few wounds would be able to connect back with Jaune. Not that cops would investigate too hard with what were probably two homeless guys Jaune just killed.

A sad fact, but something to keep in mind. Suicides may not have been investigated very thoroughly either. These men were simply at the bottom rung of society's ladder. No one would pay them any mind if they just up and vanished one day only to wash up on shores of Vale.

_Why did I just think that? _

_Feels kind of dark now that I think about it... _

Jaune tore himself from those thoughts and back to disposing of the evidence. Everything about what he was doing here was for self-preservation. The boy was looking out for his number one right now and prepared himself to stick with that. He could debate the morality of what he'd done after mastering his vampirism.

All of this was to protect his family and friends. Sacrifices needed to be made to ensure this future.

Without any more thought, Jaune rolled the first man over the edge. His corpse plummeted to the waters below, vanishing with a splash at the bottom. Following him was the second man, his body tumbling down the whole way only to unceremoniously end up in the bay a few seconds later.

_We're done here. Where to next? _

Jaune looked around for a direction to head in. Many places in California were perfect to look for in a test site. Even if one didn't choose this state, there was plenty of others with nothing going on in their own swaths of deserts or open fields.

Maybe Utah? They had nothing going on there aside from salt flats and mountains. Nobody would notice if anything was amiss if Jaune unleashed some sort of magical bomb in the middle of nowhere.

_Ah, who am I kidding?_

Jaune chuckled to himself, hopping over the railing separating himself from a four-hundred foot plummet. He allowed himself to fall for several seconds before transforming into his mist-form.

_What's wrong with going to a nice place closer to home? _

The swarm of bats turned upwards and began flying off to the east, covering a massive distance in only a fraction of a second.

**[Twenty Minutes Later] **

Jaune touched down in a patch of desert somewhere near Death Valley. This nearly lifeless expanse of land hardly had anybody living inside of it. Aside from one or two military bases close by, of course. Other than a few thousand soldiers, nobody was around to disturb tonight's grand events.

_Shit, it's cold! _

The boy pulled up his hood to shield his head from the weather. Even for a desert, it could get very cold in the middle of the night. A mere fifty degrees with a gust of wind passing through was enough to send Jaune scampering for a source of warmth. His vampirism not giving him any benefit either.

_Okay Jaune, let's make this quick! _

He held out his right hand, reciting the Crocea Mors' poem out loud. As he finished the incantation, the boy's right palm started to heat up. This warmth growing to a mild one like he'd been warming his hands next to the fire. Nothing like the searing hot iron placed against it like before.

_Hurt's less now, so that's good. _

Jaune wasn't sure why. Maybe his body was only becoming attuned to the magic? Or it could be he was getting used to the pain. Possibly the ghost? Nothing to point at any of those reasons, however.

"Hugghh," the boy let out a frustrated groan, twirling the blade around in his fingertips.

A part of Jaune was really starting to hate having all of these unanswered questions. Eventually, he would have to begin writing them all down to keep track of everything.

_Maybe somebody wrote a book about this? Fat chance of finding it in the library, though..._

Jaune grasped Crocea Mors in both hands with one at the tip of the blade and the other on the handle. His eyes carefully studied the seemingly immaculate sword for any clues. However, there were no symbols, but only a single sentence inscribed towards the guard, running up the blade on both sides.

**_Das Ewig-Weibliche Zieht uns hinan._**

_Well... it's German..._

Jaune took some foreign language classes, mainly Spanish, in his freshman and sophomore years, so he couldn't be sure. But Crocea Mors didn't sound like it was a German word or phrase. Actually, Crocea Mors was closer to something like Spanish anyways.

Nothing a quick search online wouldn't fix. The magic of the internet would solve all.

_Okay, let's try to see if I can mess with you, Crocea Mors. I forged you, so there has to be something I can work with here. _

Jaune held the blade out in his right hand, focusing all of his attention on the shape. The first time he forged the blade, he had no prerequisite design in mind and only let it come into form. Maybe if he recited the poem again with a new profile pictured in his head, it would work?

As he did so, Jaune noticed Crocea Mors begin to heat up, turning into a white-hot plank of steel once again. This heat not burning his hand, but instead felt cold to the touch despite it. The blade soon expanded both in width and length, finding mass where there should have been none. The weight coming to around a few hundred pounds now.

There could have been no way for the blade to grow like this without siphoning materials from the environment. However, with all things in this past week and a half, the impossible could clearly happen. This blade was only another representation of mechanisms breaking Jaune's understanding of the world.

After a few more seconds, the blade finally took Jaune's desired shape. And frankly, it was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough, it was more like a large hunk of iron. Something that a freaking superhuman would be using to slay demons down in the pits of hell with a smile on his face.

Jaune had the sudden urge to shout the name Griffith as he beheld the massive blade. The thought caused another chuckle to erupt from within the boy's throat.

He tried to swing the blade once, finding it to be far too heavy for even him to manage. As Jaune's strength failed him, the tip of the blade buried itself deep into the soil. Attempting to even lift the sword again made no meaningful progress.

_Well, that worked out. Kind of large for my tastes, but I won't have to worry about hiding it since I can summon it any time I want. What if I made it smaller? A sabre? _

Jaune went through the same motions again, reforging the blade into something far more elegant. The mass and shape of the blade decreased as it did so, astounding the boy who took witness to this. Eventually, the weapon was no longer this behemoth of a buster sword, but a thin, curved sword for use on horseback.

Before he was allowed to perform any other feats with the blade, the magical sword vanished in a puff of smoke and electricity. Its disappearance scared the boy, causing him to shield himself. However, as there was no explosion or surge of pain erupting from his right hand, he calmed for the moment.

_Okay, I ran out of fuel... Blood makes it work I guess, so I'll need to find more pretty soon if I'm going to keep experimenting. That can wait for now, though. _

The last thing Jaune was curious for tonight was to see how far he could push his body. The feats he performed at the track and during the fight with the German Vampire had him wondering. With how Jaune's enemy was able to move so fast he could effectively disappear, the boy should be able to replicate such a feat. Most likely to a lesser degree, but something close to it.

Jaune's reaction time and speed were both increased to beyond human levels already. The boy still felt like he could push himself farther than what he had done yesterday. In fact, it only felt like he'd put less than a quarter of his strength into that sprint. A minor effort, but not everything he had.

So, the boy knelt down like a sprinter would, placing his right foot underneath him and his other extended. To the sound of a phantom starting gun, Jaune rocketed forth, pushing off his right foot and into a full sprint.

This first step was more like a leap into the air, propelling the boy nearly thirty feet in a single bound. The stress of inertia subjected to Jaune's body made his internal organs have to play catch up with the rest of him. Even the boy's eyes pressed against the back of his skull.

"HOLY SHIT," the boy shouted as he overestimated the amount of strength put into his leg.

The sheer force behind this explosive start kicked up a mountain's worth of dust into the air behind him. A small crater where his foot pressed against the soil remained. The next step was the same, only launching Jaune in a lateral direction instead of vertical as he took control of his movement.

Jaune didn't even try to keep his hood up, long since abandoning the notion of his disguise. The boy's mane became slicked back with the rush of the air against him. Everything about this moment like when he leapt off the bridge. Only a lot more exciting than when he tried killing himself.

This excitement bringing out the young child inside of him. Jaune didn't stop to examine his surroundings, pushing towards a large mountain off in the distance. Every step, bringing the boy closer to his destination.

_Come on, Jaune! _

One another bound, Jaune increased the force in his leg as he pushed off of it. This resulted in the boy getting thrown over one-hundred feet into the air! His entire body no longer felt itself succumbing to the pressure of inertia.

No. He ignored it entirely with the rush of adrenaline in his system. This experience far outstripping any roller coaster he had ever been on. Not even his motion sickness showed its head.

"_WHOOOOOOOO_," the boy shouted in glee. "_HELL YEAH! HAHHAHAHAHaaaaaa!" _

**[Ruby: Several Hours Earlier] **

The sun had just started to go down, casting a spell of twilight over Vale.

Ruby and Yang were walking home after a successful shopping trip for the supplies needed for this weekend. The elder of the pair had a mischievous look on her face to counter the happy yet content expression of Ruby. The younger was unaware of the cogs beginning to spin inside Yang's head, however.

"So, Rubes," Yang began, moving a few inches behind her younger sister. "You excited about this weekend? Going out with Nora, Ren, and _Jaune_ for some fun?"

Ruby blushed a bit at the mention of her friend. Especially with how Yang emphasised his name like there was something else going on here. Which there wasn't! Ruby never thought about him that way!

_Stupid Yang! I know what you're trying to pull! _

"Yep," Ruby cheerfully agreed, going along with her older sister's tease. "We haven't gone out together for a while now!"

Ruby couldn't really remember the last time they went out as a group either. Most of their gatherings were the boys hanging out or when she and Nora decided to go with Yang to the mall or an arcade. Together, they would go to Jaune or Ruby's house to play video games or something like that. But with how warm it was starting to get, the young ravenette wanted to change things up a bit.

"Just make sure when you guys get to the tunnel of love, you pop a mint before you go in," Yang suggested teasingly.

This idea caused Ruby's blush to burn a little brighter than it had previously. Her red hoodie was starting to match the colour of her cheeks now. Even thinking about the two kissing, which was Yang putting the picture into her head made it even worse.

"_It's not a date, Yang_," Ruby growled through her teeth.

This only served to cause the blonde to laugh lightly at the younger girl's expense. Not like there had been enough teasing when Ruby proposed this idea. Yang had been a lot less forgiving then but actually helped at that point.

"I know," Yang agreed, still keeping her playful tone. "But it can always become one. Or it might turn romantic..." The blonde skipped ahead of Ruby, turning around to face the girl as she walked backwards. Her lips contorting into her trademark Chesire grin. "Just think about it... Once Nora and Ren leave for the night, you two might be all alone. Jaune's family might be out doing something else, and I might _forget_ that you were hanging out. Next thing you know, the two of you are watching a movie and then..."

Before she was allowed to continue any further, Ruby interrupted the girl mid-sentence.

"**_NO-NO-NO-NO-NO_**," Ruby started shouting, putting her fingers inside her ears. "_I can't hear you, Yang!_"

This reaction was only cover for how Ruby was really feeling right now. She pictured the moment taking place right after Yang stopped. The two sharing a gentle kiss before... several other things might happen. One of them may have been really dirty, but she was fifteen dammit! Not a ten-year-old child to be shielded from that kind of stuff anymore!

"Awwwww," Yang feigned a disappointed whine. "Can't an older sister hope her darling baby sibling gets a boyfriend?!"

Before Ruby could get her reply out, Yang's right foot stepped into a large puddle on the ground. The liquid contained within splashed outwards, coating most of the blonde's white sneakers in the dark liquid. As soon as she noticed, Yang let out a frustrated groan at the ruined shoe. The girl kicked her leg a few times to attempt removing the liquid.

"_Really_," Yang barked angrily, holding her bags up higher as she stepped out of the puddle. "Who the hell dumps their dirty ass water all over the street?"

_Oh my god... _

"Yang," Ruby began, starting to grow a horrified expression. "That's not water..."

The two looked towards the origin of the puddle simultaneously. There, the sight they laid their eyes on prompted the girl's blood to grow cold. Each was staring at what looked like a massacre.

Ruby saw what were most likely over a dozen corpses strewn about the alley. Their bodies cut to pieces. Not drawn and quartered, but cut into cylindrical sections with every limb and body part sliced into individual hunks of flesh. The wounds themselves were perfectly straight. Not done by a saw or a sword. Ruby didn't know what could have done this.

She let out a scream seconds after realising what she was looking at. Ruby dropped her things regardless of where they landed, backing into a nearby vehicle. Her breathing immediately increasing ten-fold with a surge of adrenaline into her system. The girl's right hand came over her chest, gripping the hoodie harshly in an attempt to calm herself down.

_Oh, my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!_

She couldn't take her eyes off the bodies. There was so much blood.

* * *

**So, Ruby walked into the California Chainsaw Massacre. Traumatising. **

**I am not a merciful god. With vampires running around Vale, someone is bound to walk into a feeding zone. Ruby and Yang just happened to be the ones.**

**But I guess that means their weekend excursion is going to be cancelled. **


	12. A Promise and a Proposal

_**Domestic**_**_ Girlfriend_: Because if it's not directly related, it's safe to be dated. **

**Yeah, I kind of watched it out of curiosity. But it's not bad. Not bad as I thought it would be. I was expecting some weird shit to start happening. **

**Also, I'm alive! **

**College is done for the semester, so I've got an entire summer where I only have work and free time. However, there is some unfortunate news. **

**I want to focus on this story and You've Got To Use Silver. So, I am putting aside my other two works in favour of those. There's stuff I really want to get to in all of those fics, but I really want to make progress in this story especially. **

**Jaune is not yet the eldritch abomination that I want him to be. He is not enough like our lord, Mephistopheles, yet. **

**The longer I take to get there the more likely I'll never reach that point. But, I'm not abandoning my other two stories. I'll try to work on them in my free time but no promises. **

**However, when it comes to this story I have a lot laid out for us to go through. The relationship stuff is pretty easy to come across. Blake seems to be the easiest girl to write about with relationship stuff as she most definitely has a type (blonde hair, and blue/purple eyes). I have also made a decision to make the PRWBY x Jaune relationship a more polyamorous one instead of a polygamous one.**

**I shall also begin catagorising stuff in the bottom AN. Stuff like different weapons Jaune picks up, his enemies, and his allies. It will be a lot like the stuff I use in You've got to use silver. **

**One more thing that I have forgotten to mention in a current update is that Pyrrha is wearing a Monika-esqu bow in her hair. (Monika from DDLC btw) Since she wouldn't have her circlet in this world, I had to give her something, so I went with that. **

* * *

**_Das Ewig-Weibliche Zieht uns hinan._**

_The eternal feminine lures us in._

_The eternal feminine draws us on high._

_The eternal feminine draws us aloft._

Looking up the phrase Jaune discovered on Crocea Mors revealed it was indeed in German. A quote from _Faust_. One of the most famous. The last line of a poetic drama when the main character ascends to heaven. Faust having prevented his soul from being taken by the demon, Mephistopheles.

Of course, trying to translate anything without being able to understand the language led the boy astray. Jaune got several translations and a bunch of different interpretations for the meaning behind it. He wasn't even sure why this phrase was carved into the blade. The Vampire had yet to check if it remained on the other versions of Crocea Mors either.

What he had learned about the sword was that its name meant 'Yellow Death' in Latin. It had once belonged to Julius Caesar before he lost it during a duel with the prince Nennius. Both the blade and the prince buried together upon the latter's death.

It was also said Crocea Mors could kill any that were struck with it.

_Apparently not or I wouldn't have lost that fight_ with Pasty.

_But what's a Latin sword doing with a line from a German story on the blade?_

Jaune suspected the original blade had ended up in Germany at some point where someone carved the line into the sword. Nennius was a mythical character that no one was sure even existed, so it was likely the weapon never ended up with him. If that were the case, Jaune would have guessed another Roman soldier carted it into central Europe during Augustus' campaign against the Germanic Tribes or the same at a later date.

_The original Faust was around during the Rennaisance, though. Goethe wrote the play in the 1800s as well. So, someone, had Crocea Mors sitting around with them for nearly two thousand years before carving a poem into it._

_Why?_

_What does it have to do with vampirism and me being able to summon Crocea Mors?_

_I know the line states the 'feminine,' so that kind of lines up with the ghost and my incantation. All three are female or mention women in some way, which makes that the common denominator._

"Hmmm," Jaune hummed, stroking his chin in contemplation, but started drawing blanks the longer he took. A yawn pulled the boy out of his thoughts, forcing him to rub his eyes as a way to stave off his growing sleep pressure.

He had been at this for hours, researching everything he could find since he got back at two in the morning. Now it was almost six, and soon he would need to be meeting up with Ruby and Yang so they could head to school. The boy was even thinking of following Yang's advice now and staying home to catch a few hours of sleep. He had only taken an hour-long power nap before getting back to work.

_Bad idea staying up all night long... This is gonna kill me if I don't get any sleep soon._

_I can ask Pyrrha to take notes for me and sleep in Mr Port's class._

Jaune felt a surge of anxiety, just thinking about seeing Pyrrha again. He didn't know if the girl was going to question him again over the incident at the track. The boy couldn't keep lying or dodging the inquiries forever. There was a point where Pyrrha or someone else might suspect something else was going on here.

Even if Pyrrha was his childhood friend, Jaune still needed to keep his vampirism on the down-low. Avoiding her would only draw suspicion. The most Jaune would do was knock her out if it came to it. That would only be a last resort and something Jaune really didn't want to do. The same for the rest of his friends.

_I only see her when I have Port's class and Gym, so I think I can slip away during lunch. Might as well take advantage of being able to turn into a swarm of bats and have an out-of-school lunch._

Suddenly the alarm of Jaune's Scroll began blaring a chime. He absentmindedly reached over and grabbed the device, checking the time. It was six, and he needed to start heading out. Jaune stood, grabbing his blazer along with his other school materials before moving to the door. As he left the desk, however, Jaune quickly cleared his browser history, leaving no evidence.

...

_Okay, I've done all of my assignments, so I shouldn't have to worry about anything going in._

Jaune skimmed through a set of papers in his hands as he moved through the dining room towards the front door. The other members of his family were going about their business, and the boy passed through the crowd unopposed. His vampire senses providing Jaune with greater spacial awareness. Even without looking or barely paying attention, his body navigated the space.

_I just got to worry about my friends then. Should be easy if I only have Ruby in all of my classes._

_Kind of hope the gym teachers don't bother me again._

He really wished they stopped offering him spots on their teams. Jaune knew it would happen a few more times before the boy managed to convince them he wasn't interested, however. He just needed to make it less suspicious as he denied them.

For some reason, none of the coaches contacted his mother with any offers whatsoever. Not even to ask her if she knew about Jaune's superhuman athleticism. The boy really wasn't sure if that sort of thing did happen in reality, but it was something he was afraid of. Luckily, Jaune's mother hadn't brought anything up, so he may be in the clear on that.

Arriving at the front door, Jaune stuffed his homework into his backpack before throwing the hatch open. He was sure he would find Ruby and Yang there, standing with cheerful expressions on their faces. However, the sight he was granted was no such picturesque morning.

Something was off.

Yang was sluggishly walking in the direction the trio headed for school. With the way her posture came off, it seemed like she was carrying some invisible stack of bricks on her back. She dragged her feet mindlessly, each leg ready to give out under the pressure. The girl's expression was not her usually brilliant smile either. Yang looked entirely out of it. Almost like she was sleepwalking.

There was no Ruby there beside her either. Jaune looked towards the sister's house to see if she was coming out, but after a few seconds, there was no indication she was going to make an appearance. The boy instead turned his attention to his fellow blonde to figure out what happened.

As he took those first few steps, Jaune's anxiety began growing within his chest. The young man's entire body was soon ready to flee at any moment, depending on what Yang had to say. With everything that happened within the last few days, this reaction seemed entirely justified.

"Hey, Yang," Jaune said in an upbeat tone, waving to the Blonde.

His acting was perfect, giving anybody who watched the impression it wasn't one. In some ways, it wasn't that either, but a genuine move to check on his friend. Didn't matter which way, somebody needed to bring some life to this conversation.

Yang barely looked at him. She turned her head, giving the boy a sideways glance with a set of dead-fish eyes. Whoever was standing in front of him, the lights were on, but nobody seemed to be home. This walking corpse could hardly make any conscious effort to acknowledge him.

"_Hey_," she muttered back to him, continuing to drag her feet. Her movements and demeanour still just as lifeless as when Jaune first saw her.

_Okay, where is Yang, and what did you do with her?_

"Is everything all right, Yang," Jaune asked, prying into the subject. "Is Ruby not coming to school today?"

_Ruby didn't text me, saying she wouldn't be there._

_What's going on?_

Now Jaune was quite concerned something had happened. He'd never seen Yang acting like this before. It left him with a sense of dread pooling inside his stomach, just like his anxiety. He hoped nothing had happened to Ruby or one of their family members.

A few seconds after asking the second question, Yang let out a loud yawn and reached upwards to rub her eyes. The pop of several joints made Jaune's spine tingle. However, after the girl removed her hands, life seemed to have come back to the Yang-zombie.

"I'm tired," she mumbled to herself before looking towards the boy. The bags under her eyes were prominent, making the exhaustion more apparent. Her entire expression just seemed tired at this point. When she was able, the Blonde spoke. "Ruby and I were walking home yesterday, and we ran into a bloodbath..."

_Bloodbath?_

It took Jaune several seconds to ponder the word. His brain having still not fully caught up to the reality that vampires were a thing now. His mind didn't immediately suspect the true nature of the girl's words. However, as he did so, the colour in his face disappeared for a second.

_Oh..._

"W-What do you mean," Jaune asked, feigning ignorance for details.

_What if they saw Pasty?_

_If it was him, then I don't know how to protect Ruby and Yang. He would have their scent and be able to follow them back to me._

Jaune wasn't ready for a fight on his home turf. If Pasty really did come after him, the boy only had one option, which was to run. Jaune wasn't sure if he would be interested in going after his friends either. They were normal people after all, so why would Pasty even care?

"_Bodies_," Yang began forcefully, bringing a hand up to the back of her neck. "Like a dozen chopped up in an alley!" She looked away, trying to find her words. "You ever seen a side of ham? Then picture a dude's leg chopped up into a bunch of those along with the rest of him..."

"It's fine, Yang," Jaune cut in before she could say anything else. His expression shifting a more concerned one. "I-I get the picture..."

_That couldn't have been me. I know it wasn't because I was at work the entire afternoon._

With how Yang described the details of the murder, it would have only taken place before nightfall. At least if the two were walking home. At that time, Jaune was inside the coffee shop with Velvet, and he didn't lose track of time like with his previous blackout. Immediately after work, Jaune retreated back to his house before setting off to hunt. That was closer to midnight.

_I don't think it was Pasty either. He didn't bother using any weapon to deal with the girl he killed and not even with me. So why would he chop them up?_

_It had to be someone else. Another vampire probably?_

_No, it couldn't. Other vampires probably figured out how to absorb blood through their skin like I did. Then that means it was another serial killer. Unless it was a new vampire, then I'm not sure._

"I-I've never seen that much blood before," Yang continued regardless of Jaune's pleading. Her tone beginning to hold some emotion to it. The girl was getting something off her chest, and so he would listen. "Like I've played Doom before and thought if I ever saw something like that, it wouldn't freak me out... After the cops got done with us, I spent the whole night thinking about it. Couldn't sleep if I tried!"

_It's a lot worse seeing it in person. She's got that right._

With Yang's condition at the moment, Jaune felt she was all right. She wasn't crying or anything, seeing evidence of mass murder. The girl needed a good long nap. Jaune was just willing to be here if she needed him.

"But are you okay now," Jaune asked in a genuinely concerned tone. "I mean, if you don't feel like going to school, I can take notes for you." His act faltered, disappearing entirely for the sake of the girl in front of him.

Yang pondered the idea for a moment or two. The part of her brain that wanted to sleep must have been on her shoulder like a small devil just telling her to go for it. The angel, however, as time went on, seemed to convince Yang otherwise.

"Real temptin' offer, but I'm gonna have to say no, Jauney," Yang replied in a tone closer to her typical one. "Track meet this week, and we have to go to school, or we can't play." She let a huff of air out of her lungs. "Thanks for asking..."

"Is Ruby okay, at least?"

Yang clenched her teeth slightly at the question. Something about the memory behind it really didn't sit right with her. Jaune supposed it was the older sister inside her regretting not shielding Ruby from seeing the bodies.

"It really freaked her out," Yang explained with a sigh. The last bits of her foul mood shaken off. Her tone was still sombre, however. "I threw up seeing that shit, but Ruby started screaming her head off."

Jaune felt his heart sink just a little. He didn't how much terrifying Ruby to that point required, but it indeed went past that. Now he wanted to ditch school to go hang out with her all day long. At least to comfort and ease out the girl's nerves.

"That bad?"

"Yeah, I had to drag her away from it to calm her down," Yang continued, running a hand through her hair. "Checked on her this morning and she didn't want to go to school today."

_Of course, she wouldn't... But should I leave her alone today?_

"Hmmm," Jaune hummed, cupping his jaw. "I might skip school today and hang out with her. Class can wait..."

Before he moved to head back home, a snort shot out of Yang's nose. He looked over to see a smirk cracking on the side of the girl's lips.

"_Yes, Jaune, come over to the Dark Side,_" Yang said in her best Emperor Palpatine voice. "_Let it consume you!_"

The impersonation prompted the boy to let out a hearty laugh. It was enough to break up the serious mood between the two of them. After their laughter died down for a moment, only then Jaune spoke.

"And you call me a dork?!"

"You're just mad that I make it look so good," Yang shot back at him. "When you're this hot..." She gestured to her face and upper torso. "...you make anything look good!"

Before Jaune could reply to her statement, Yang cut him off.

"Anyway, don't skip class today," she said, looking at him directly in the eyes. Yang had her big-sister face on now. "Rubes will be fine without you for a couple hours. And _someone _needs to take her notes."

As much as Jaune wanted to call her out for being a hypocrite when it came to skipping class, Yang had a point. Something rare for the Blonde to make, but one regardless of the fact. Jaune only wished he could take the time to catch a few more hours of sleep and not have to sit through lectures all day long.

"So, let's hurry up Lover-Boy," Yang chirped, smacking Jaune's shoulder three times. "If we want to sleep through Port's class, we need to spread out and find the best spots!"

_Can she read my thoughts?_

**[Pyrrha: Port's Class]**

The scarlet-haired girl sat in her chair, twirling a pencil through her fingers. Despite her efforts to take any notes, Pyrrha's notebook was blank. Mr Port's words didn't even click in her brain. They flew right over the girl's head.

_What is going on with Jaune?_

Pyrrha took a quick glance at the blonde occupying her thoughts. He was sitting almost forty-feet away on the other side of the room. Jaune was also sleeping in class, much like Yang was right now. Both seemed to have fallen asleep at nearly the same time. Neither stirred from their rest either.

From her perspective, Pyrrha couldn't tell if Jaune had changed physically in any way. Yesterday, he seemed pretty normal. The blonde string-bean she'd known since their childhood. Nothing to indicate he would be capable of pulling off an extraordinary feat.

His character was always geared towards the art of wit over brawn. To see Jaune suddenly be capable of running well over thirty miles per hour was something he shouldn't have been able to pull off. Not that he wasn't allowed to perform such a thing, but that no person could have been physically able to. Especially if the person in question had never even approached those kinds of speeds before.

This debacle was enough to frustrate Pyrrha greatly. None of this anger directed towards Jaune.

No-No-No-No-No.

Pyrrha was confused. That's what angered the girl so. Every little detail she looked over would not tell her what she needed to find a conclusion. She _needed _to know how Jaune was able to run so fast. And to know why Jaune was so determined to dodge any questions about it.

Something had been going on with the boy for the past week. Not just the sudden appearance of what would be considered superhuman speed, but some other disturbance troubling him. Jaune was acting differently even before his assault; however, that was just him being down after _Weiss_ hurt him. His mood had bottomed out, and Pyrrha was concerned... No, still concerned, his self-esteem had not recovered.

Jaune seemed to be avoiding all of his friends during school hours. Usually, he was glued to Ruby at the hip most of the time. Now he kept himself at arm's length away from her and the others. His new habit of dipping out of the room when encountering Weiss or just disappearing without any reason didn't do him any favours either.

Everything, when examined from afar, made Pyrrha worry for the boy. Luckily, her thoughts were shared with the currently missing member of the group.

Pyrrha's eyes settled on the boy once again, pondering any ideas she could use to improve Jaune's mood. After several moments, however, Pyrrha came up with nothing. Her mind filled with white noise, and the occasional word from Mr Port. With the block on any plans, her frustration grew even further. Enough so, her neutral expression turned into an adorable looking pout.

"Hey, P-Money," a person to her right whispered. The voice drew Pyrrha to look towards its origin. A lilac eye peeked out over an arm, staring directly at her. "You know, with the way you and Weiss stare at him, a girl can get all sorts of wrong ideas."

_Nice to see your mood is great today, Yang._

Although Pyrrha really didn't mean it. She kind of wished Yang wasn't in the teasing sort of mood right now. Even for someone who had witnessed a murder, the girl's character was very resilient. It was surprising how she had the energy to make these jests in the first place. Jaune's talk with her this morning must have worked out great.

The tease, however, made Pyrrha blush slightly. Enough for her cheeks to dawn a pink dusting to accompany her hair. She had to force the blood out of her face lest her skin put those scarlet locks to shame. Pyrrha's skin even began to give off heat like a furnace, making her uniform feel very uncomfortable right now.

Underneath the desk, Pyrrha gave Yang's left foot a hard stomp. It was enough to send meaning through action instead of words. Yang seemed to understand as she grunted painfully in her throat. One of her hands went down to rub the sore area.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks," Yang said through a grimace.

Before Pyrrha could reply, the bell signalling the next class rang. The dozen or so other students all got up and began packing their things. Yang and Pyrrha followed suit, quickly grabbing their supplies and started funnelling out of the aisles.

"You know it's not like that," Pyrrha countered in a calm tone, keeping her emotions out of this. One slip-up and Pyrrha would find herself backed into a corner in this conversation. Every word needed to be chosen carefully.

"Hey, how am I supposed to know," Yang gave her own retort, sounding like she was bullshitting this entire thing. "You and Rubes always talk about him, so I might assume there's something else going on..." The Blonde did a complete three-sixty, surveying the room for any signs of Jaune. "...I mean, you guys are _really _old friends, after all. Rubes probably has a little crush on Jaune, but you, Pyrrha... I think there might be a secret childhood crush the rest of us don't know about."

Although Pyrrha managed to suppress any reaction to the tease, Yang wasn't exactly wrong. The girl did have a crush once upon a time on Jaune, but not any longer. It was a stupid childhood fantasy that disappeared years ago and had not resurfaced since then. Only Yang was accusing Pyrrha of still harbouring feelings for the boy when that was not the case. The Blonde probably having got the idea from one of Jaune's manga or something similar filled with those tropes.

It was already bad enough with the Blonde teasing her for meeting another cliche. That stupid 'perfect girl' one. Pyrrha didn't need anything else right now.

"And besides, since I know you were thinking about Jaune's little show yesterday; Nora and I already decided he is now a robot sent back from the future or a super-soldier... One of the two."

Pyrrha groaned internally at the notion. While their conclusion seemed far-fetched, nobody else had any concrete idea for a mechanism behind Jaune's sudden physical abilities. Pyrrha had exhausted her list of possibilities and was left with nothing to show for it. However, she seriously doubted Jaune was replaced with a doppelganger.

"Oh, please," Weiss scoffed, crossing her arms and shrugging her shoulders. She and Blake had been listening in, only enough to hear Yang's theory. "Those are dumbest ideas I have heard yet!"

There were plenty of ideas floating around lately. Jaune had caused quite the commotion during gym class, and the entire school caught onto it. The rumour mill had also done its work and fabricated several more ridiculous possibilities that made even less sense.

"Then what do you think, Weiss," Yang asked in a playful tone, prodding the girl for her thoughts. "Got any ideas in that big brain of yours?"

"Has anybody thought he might be using drugs?"

Pyrrha's spine stiffened at this one. It took a lot for the Champion to not tell off Weiss for suggesting Jaune would be doing drugs. The only reason Pyrrha didn't was that she didn't propose such a thing out of malice, but a legitimate attempt to bring this topic back to reality.

And Pyrrha was trying her damndest to be civil with Weiss even disregarding what she had just said. Because every single time she looked her way, Pyrrha could feel the sensation of disgust creep back inside her stomach. Alongside this growing tumult was the urge to show open contempt for the Heiress. It was almost a daily test of will to keep a pleasant air about whenever she was near.

After Weiss said those vile, disgusting things to Jaune, it was more than what Pyrrha felt she deserved. For the girl who thrashed one of her closest friends in such a way that his heart was quite literally broken. Who also made him cry openly, according to Ruby after she sought out Jaune in the aftermath. To which Weiss then proceeded to badmouth the boy even further with a slew of accusations, demeaning his character to make him seem like a lecherous fiend who only wanted her heart to use for his corrupt purpose.

Pyrrha believed there wasn't enough scorn her own body could create needed to be shown towards Weiss.

Despite what Pyrrha _really _wanted to do. She was keeping herself under control because Ruby had managed to persuade the Champion that damage control was more important than going ballistic towards Weiss.

It didn't help that Weiss accused Jaune of the very same thing she did when Pyrrha first met her. The Heiress merely thought she could use the Redhead's popularity for her own gain. Pyrrha tried to look past this and forged an at arm's length friendship, but now, it was becoming difficult to maintain even that facade.

With Weiss crying about how she was wrong about what she said and trying to worm her way back into Jaune's good grace's, Pyrrha's patience was becoming very-

"Weiss," Blake began, drawing Pyrrha out of her thoughts. Her voice calm and to the point. It managed to get the Champion's mind into a focused state and away from those niggling feelings. "I really don't think Jaune would be using steroids. Not just because he isn't the type of person to use them, but he hasn't gained any muscle."

Blake was correct on both reasons.

From Pyrrha's knowledge, Jaune's sisters only ever gave him a beer or some form of hard liquor because they stole it from their parent's cabinet. If he had ever been caught using hard drugs or even weed, she would have heard about it from Saphron or Marron at some point. Not to mention, he wouldn't have the need as the boy wasn't into bodybuilding.

The second argument was also accurate because Pyrrha had seen steroid use in other athletes. It was not always a pretty sight, and sometimes very easy to spot. However, as Pyrrha had seen Jaune at the track yesterday, she knew he was still pretty skinny, but toned. As in, there was not too much meat on those bones.

"Okay," Weiss replied with a shrug. "Then what other plausible explanations are there?"

"That's where she's got a point," Yang concurred, gesturing to the Heiress. "You don't get that good without a reason." The Blonde looked to Pyrrha. "Which, has me thinking Jaune's been training on the DL and no one's noticed."

_It's possible... Unlikely... Extremely unlikely, but possible..._

"So, what are you suggesting, Yang," Blake asked with a tinge of curiosity.

Whatever it was, Pyrrha needed to run it by Ruby whenever she got back to school. If it was anything that might help Jaune out, the girl would probably want in on the action. Also, because Pyrrha was kind of excited to see what Yang would have in store if it let her and Jaune hang out more often. Busy and often conflicting schedules made things very difficult at times.

"We invite him to work out with us after school," the Blonde revealed in a harsh whisper. "Now, before you guys say anything! Think about this... Jaune's schtick just might not be being able to run fast, but there's probably some other stuff we haven't seen. So, we can kill two birds with one stone here." Yang raised her right hand, numbering the benefits of her plan with her fingers. "Beat some confidence into him, and see if yesterday wasn't just a fluke."

Pyrrha had to admit, it was indeed a good plan. She wondered why Yang hadn't proposed it before now, but given what happened last night with Ruby, it was safe to assume the weekend excursion was off. So, this back-up was something they could work with if Jaune was willing.\

"I don't see how we can 'beat' confidence into someone," Weiss noted with a confused look. "It sounds counterproductive if you ask me..."

"That's because we're going to make him pump some iron," Yang explained with a dull look having hoped Weiss would understand. "He's skinny enough that any muscle he gets will show pretty quickly. As soon as you get a set of abs going on, pretty much everyone's confidence will go through the roof. And working out with a bunch of girls... I mean... Jaune's not too bad off in the looks department! A fish might bite whether he wants it to or not..." Her lips curled into a smile as the Blonde looked for approval. "Egh?! _Eghh_?! You guys picking up what I'm puttin' down?!" Yang gave a little shake to her shoulders for emphasis.

_She has thought this out for far too long it seems..._

Aside from the obvious benefits that working out regularly would give Jaune, which she never doubted. Pyrrha wasn't sure about whether or not they would see anything extraordinary like they had seen yesterday. If Jaune was still uncomfortable spilling details, then he was going to probably ensure nothing of note would happen. At least, that was Pyrrha's conclusion based on what she'd seen in the past day and a half.

But it couldn't hurt to try. If not for Yang's idea that Jaune would attract girls like flies to honey, but for the other reasons. His confidence could use some tempering.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Pyrrha agreed in her usually cheerful tone. The girl's voice openly admitting her excitement with the plan.

Yang's expression morphed into an almost Chesire Cat-like grin. The sudden appearance of this smile was enough to send shivers down Pyrrha's spine.

"Great," the Blonde said, turning around to dig into her bag. From within, she revealed a notebook stuffed with random pieces of paper and doodles in Jaune and Ruby's style drawn on the outside. "Cuz' I got the perfect excuse to go talk to him." She shoved the notebook against Pyrrha's chest, giving her shoulder a pat as a final coup de grace. "And since you were so excited, you'll be our sacrificial lamb for today!"

_Whaaa?_

Pyrrha couldn't get a word out as Yang grabbed both Blake and Weiss and hurried around the corner, heading to gym class. The Redhead was left standing here flustered and nervous about being put on the spot. She didn't even have the right words down to begin this conversation.

_Come on, Pyrrha! _

She took a deep breath in and shook her head viciously, ridding her body of any anxiety. There was no way she was going to chicken out now. This was Pyrrha Nikos!

And they don't call her the Goddess of Victory for nothing!

**[Jaune]**

The boy had a satisfied grin on lips, rummaging through his locker for something needed for his next class. Jaune's mood rebounded from this morning, returning to him the high he'd been on since last night. The rush of excitement coursing through his veins at his newfound strengths. Everything pooled within his chest, nearly giving him butterflies in his stomach just thinking about it.

Despite the rocky start to this morning, today had gone well so far. Nobody bombarded him with questions or offers. It was just another typical day in the neighbourhood. Minus one best friend, of course. Things were not the same without Ruby in this day to day cycle. Everything felt rather dull because of it.

Jaune didn't fret over having to go see her later, however. At least, not anymore. She was a lot like Yang in being able to bounce back from anything life threw at her. The girl would just take it in strides once she figured out how to stop stressing out over it.

A fleeting memory of Ruby panicking as she tried to figure out where all of her classes were brought a snort out from Jaune's nose. The glimpse into the past actually gave the boy an idea for how he would approach the inevitable.

A second of effort into coming up with a plan was replaced with an onslaught coming from the background noise all around. This sudden rise in volume caused the boy to abandon his line of thinking to tune out the noise, dropping it to tolerable levels. Once, he recovered, Jaune grabbed the final piece of notes needed for a later class.

However, as Jaune turned to leave, he was met with Pyrrha standing right in front of him with a light smile on her face. She practically materialised out of thin air, somehow bypassing the boy's vampiric senses. The surprise was enough to cause Jaune to jump, accidentally dropping what was in his hands at the same time.

Several notebooks crashed onto the ground in a flurry of paper. Pyrrha immediately spat an apology out before diving to the floor to clean up the mess. Jaune did the same, scraping together whatever he could grab and neatly stacking everything. As soon as the mess was sorted out, both teens stood to face each other again.

"I-I'm sorry, Jaune," Pyrrha apologised once again, blushing from embarrassment. One of her hands went to fidget with the end of her ribbon. "I didn't mean to surprise you..."

_Well, you did, anyway... _

Jaune was not angry with his friend. There was hardly anything she could do to elicit that sort of reaction. Indeed, it was a good scare. Something Jaune could praise had he not been fighting vampires recently. His body was practically always in a fight or flight mode.

"Heh, it's fine," Jaune replied genuinely, flashing her a light smile and rubbing the back of his head. "I wasn't paying attention..." He turned his gaze away from Pyrrha for a second, feeling kind of nervous about being around her. "But did you need something?"

_Please don't ask about yesterday! _

Pyrrha's expression lightened up a bit, realising what she had come here to do. Her blush vanishing for the time. She dug into the stack of notebooks she carried, producing one that seemed awfully familiar to Jaune.

"Y-You dropped this yesterday," Pyrrha explained, thrusting the notebook towards Jaune's hands. "I was going to give it to you this morning, but I missed you in Mr Port's class."

"Thanks," Jaune said, taking the notebook from her. The memory of losing it didn't register in his mind. He never noticed it had disappeared.

"But there was one more thing I wanted to ask you about," Pyrrha blurted out. The exclamation brought the girl's blush back to her cheeks. She continued to fidget with her ribbon, completely wrapping it around her right index finger. "Yang was wondering if you wanted to come work out with us after school?!"

_That's weird._

Jaune really wasn't sure what to think about it. He guessed it was a little awkward with how out of the blue this request was. If Yang wasn't the one proposing the idea to Jaune personally, however; he suspected it was due to him talking to her this morning. Then that would mean Yang was too embarrassed to even speak to him.

_Wait, that doesn't make sense. Yang doesn't get embarrassed. _

_But I don't have any reason to say no right now. _

_Not against the idea anyway..._

"Uh, sure," Jaune agreed regardless, trying to bury his hesitance. "I'll try it out sometime... Maybe later, though. I have to go see Ruby after school, and I've got work to take care of..."

Pyrrha's expression reverted back to normal, yet bore a concerned look. "Oh, yes," she said fervently, nodding her head. "Please take care of her first! You can show up at any time you want..." The Redhead paused for a second, contorting her lips into teasing grin. "Unless you're afraid of being in a room full of sweaty girls, that is."

Jaune blushed heavily, turning his gaze away from the girl. The picture in his head was cause enough for the boy to be embarrassed. Pyrrha knew what she was doing here. She giggled, seeing how flustered he grew and had no shame in doing so.

"Ughh," he groaned, trying his best to not make eye contact with Pyrrha. Jaune couldn't even look at her lest his blush burned a little brighter.

"Don't worry about it, Jaune, just do what you can for Ruby," Pyrrha continued, switching to a more reassuring tone. She looked around, seeing some of the other students beginning to rush to their next classes. "But, I have to go, so I'll see you in Gym."

"Yeah, sure..."

Jaune heard Pyrrha's footsteps begin heading off into the distance. Once she was out of sight, he opened his locker again and threw the reclaimed notebook back inside.

Before he could turn around and follow Pyrrha to their next class, he felt the presence of four people behind him. There was not enough time for him to react as someone wrapped their arm around the back of his neck. The pressure of the man's bicep and forearm squeezed down on the column, creating an uncomfortable pressure for Jaune to endure.

"Hey, Jauney-Boy," the man said in a deceivingly friendly tone. "So, Nikos, huh?"

_Cardin... _

Probably the second to last person Jaune wanted to see today.

Cardin had been a thorn in Jaune's side since the incident with Weiss. He made it his personal mission to screw with the boy at every possible turn. Everything from dumping food on Jaune's head to beating him up after school when he was alone. The past few weeks had been a personal hell to endure, and that wasn't the worst Cardin had dealt out to any of the students at Beacon.

Whatever Cardin had planned today, it couldn't have been worse than anything Jaune had been through this week alone, however. Being impaled, having your spine broken, and getting punch through a building made his bullying look pitiful in comparison.

So, Jaune was just going to take his licks and get on with his day. It's not like anything would kill him.

"What do you want, Cardin," Jaune replied in annoyance. He tried to lightly pull away from the boy, using only an ounce of his total strength. It didn't work, however, as the taller brute clamped his arm down tighter.

"Heh," he huffed, sounding entertained with the reaction. "I just noticed the way Nikos was talking to you. Guess it was bound to happen some time." Cardin flexed his arm even harder, putting a painful amount of pressure on Jaune's spine. "So, let me tell you what I want." He leaned down next to Jaune's ear, whispering into it. "_You think you're the shit because Pyrrha's talking to you... She's a pedigree, not some fucking mutt! So, you're going to stay the fuck away from her! You're not going to talk to her! You're not going to look at her! Let alone think about her ever again!_"

Rage began welling up inside Jaune. He could kill Cardin right here and now, but knew it would be the end of him. If he fought all the bully's friends off by himself, it would blow his cover too. Not being able to do anything about Cardin's demands was the worst part about it. That's what angered him so.

"_Cardin_," Jaune hissed, trying once again to plead for peace. "I don't have the time for this today! Let me go."

The taller boy turned to his compatriots, giving them a questioning look. Jaune could smell every one of them. Even their smugness gave off this unpleasant odour that saturated the air. They only responded to Cardin, giving a shrug of their shoulders at Jaune's demeanour.

"Well, gents," Cardin chirped with a smile on his face. "I don't think he gets it!"

With Jaune still in a headlock, Cardin dragged the boy down an adjacent hallway. This deserted path led to a set of bathrooms he had in mind for their isolation. Despite Jaune's physical resistance, the brute kept on going with his cronies just behind watching out for anyone trying to intervene.

Shoving Jaune's back hard, Cardin tossed the boy inside the men's restroom without bothering to check if they were alone. The Blonde tumbled forward, hitting the ground in a poor show of balance.

"You three, stay out here and keep an eye out for anybody," Cardin ordered his friends. Each obeyed, filing out of the room and shutting the door behind them. Cardin locked the door from the inside to ensure there would be no disturbances.

Without any warning, Cardin went straight for a gutshot, punching Jaune just below the diaphragm. The force behind it folded the Blonde over like a taco shell, causing him to collapse onto the ground. He heaved several times, coughing simultaneously while he tried to catch his breath. The pain radiated out from its epicentre, blanketing his entire stomach.

_You hit like a bitch..._

"_Fuck you, Arc_," Cardin hissed, grabbing Jaune's collar and lifting the boy up with one hand. "_You and all those Faunus animals need to learn your _**_place_**_!_"

He followed up with a right hook, dashing Jaune across the cheek. Cardin's fist left a small tear in the skin, allowing a stream of blood to trickle out. The Brunette cocked back his arm again, propelling it directly at Jaune's mouth. This time, the Blonde's lip was busted open, and the inside of his mouth began spilling out blood.

"I'm sick and tired of you fucking losers," Cardin spat as he drew back his right arm for a third blow.

As the fist rocketed towards Jaune's face, he reacted quickly enough to catch it inside his own palm. The two impacted in a hearty slap with the Blonde's arm stalwart in appearance. As the offending fist tried to pull away, the Vampire squeezed down tight, trapping it in his fingers.

**_You think you're all big and strong, Cardin! I can snap your fucking hand like a twig! _**

The look of shock on Cardin's face as his hand was stopped in its tracks was delicious. He must have guessed Jaune wouldn't have the strength to ever counter a blow from him. The Blonde could even see fear begin crawling up the Brunette's spine.

"**_Heheheheheh_**," Jaune snickered through a grimace, beginning to smile wide enough to show his bloodied teeth. He stood up to his full height, holding Cardin's arm in place. "**_Jokes on you Cardin! I'm part masochist!_**"

Cardin's face morphed into something resembling dread at that card being played. He pulled his arm back once, finding Jaune's grip to be far too strong to break. It took everything the boy could muster up on his second tug to pull himself out of Jaune's grasp.

Not that he would know Jaune let him go on purpose.

"Y-You're fuckin' weird, Arc," Cardin yelped as he turned tail. It took no more than two steps for the boy to clear the distance between Jaune and the door.

Once Cardin had vanished, Jaune pressed his right foot down onto the floor. Any of the blood that had stained the tile moved towards him, coalescing in a small puddle. As the last drop joined the mass, it began flowing back inside through his leather shoe.

**[Pyrrha] **

The second bell had rung, telling the Redhead she was going to be very late for class. Whatever fate Pyrrha would succumb to was accepted at this point. However, she would relish this destiny as something positive.

Pyrrha needed to work on her cardio after all. The inevitable suicides she was going to be running would be worth it in the end. Just helping her friend made it doubly so.

_I hope I wasn't too pushy, though. _

Pyrrha didn't want to upset Jaune while he was still trying to figure things out. Forcing him to join Yang and herself while the former probably threw him inside a boxing ring would just take the fun out of it. With everything going on with Weiss and now Ruby, she felt it was best to just give him the offer and a reason not to go.

However, a little teasing encouraging Jaune to show up wouldn't hurt. Pyrrha thought of it as a challenge.

"Hmmm..."

Her eyes wandered down to the books she carried against her chest. Pyrrha did a quick double-check to make sure everything was there. Today was already looking to be a rough one, anyway, so she wanted to get as far ahead as possible. However, as she scanned through the notebooks she carried, Pyrrha realised one was out of place.

She had accidentally picked up one of the notebooks Jaune had dropped.

_Great... _

"Huuugggghhhh," Pyrrha let out a frustrated groan, throwing her head back at the same time. The Redhead's stress levels rising with every misstep in this venture. She immediately turned around to go find Jaune once again to return this notebook.

_Woosah, Pyrrha. Woosah... _

_This is all for Jaune. You're not going to get detention for helping a friend. _

Walking back through the deserted halls, Pyrrha spotted Cardin and his friends heading in the opposite direction. She paid no mind to them as they were probably skipping class or something. A certain blonde was her only concern right now. Pyrrha just hoped he hadn't run off in the two minutes they were apart.

Rounding a corner, she reached the area where Jaune's locker was supposed to be. The metal container was wide open, and Jaune's things were scattered about the hallway. Notebooks were torn up and crumbled. Even an expensive graphing calculator was smashed to pieces.

It didn't take long for Pyrrha to put two and two together.

_Jaune, where are you?! _

Pyrrha passed right by the debris and began looking for the boy. He couldn't have gone far, and since the locker wasn't busted open, Cardin and his friends must have surprised him. The extent of the damage done by the boys was unknown to Pyrrha, however.

Dropping her things by the locker, she ran about the area to see if Jaune was nearby. Checking several of the adjacent chambers for the boy proved fruitless as he was nowhere to be found. If Cardin and his friends had jumped him, Pyrrha suspected Jaune would be laid out somewhere unconscious.

_Please let him be okay..._

As Pyrrha poked her head under a nearby set of stairs, she heard a door open and shut. The noise drew her attention to another hallway she already looked at but found nothing. There now, was Jaune walking out of a restroom. Blood staining his face and shirt, continuing to flow despite holding his nose shut. The boy's left cheek was beginning to swell up from the damage done to the flesh.

His attention was directed towards the floor. Jaune didn't even seem to acknowledge Pyrrha's presence. The boy looked as though he were lost in his thoughts. Maybe he was just trying to hold his composure together lest he broke down?

"_Oh my gosh, Jaune,_" Pyrrha shouted, running up to the boy. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and another went to move his face to check the wounds. The touch, however, was slapped away, causing Pyrrha to recoil and pull back from the boy.

"Jaune, what's wrong," she asked with concern filling her voice. "Who did this to you?" She went to place her hand back on his shoulder once again, not getting an answer to her question.

"**_Pyrrha, stop_**," Jaune barked angrily, pushing away her hand once again. He turned and began walking away from her. Pyrrha tried to follow but stopped as he spoke. "**_I'm fine! Just leave me alone..._**"

"Jaune..." Pyrrha muttered, slowly retracting her right hand. A frown crossed her lips as the boy disappeared around a corner.

**[Jaune: An Hour Later] **

Opening the front door to his house, Jaune was met with silence, finding everyone to have left for the day. He was thankful for that. The Vampire really didn't need anyone to bother him right now. Luckily, the stars just happened to align for once.

Turning on his Scroll revealed a dozen or so messages from his friends asking about him. They were all trying to get into contact with him to figure out if he was all right or not. Jaune didn't feel like answering all of those, so he simply ignored their texts. There were no calls from his family, however, so that only confused him.

After Jaune cleaned up the blood, his plan was to regenerate the wounds he received, but then Pyrrha showed up. It was a split-second decision to keep the cuts open and blood flowing only to create a consistent story. He couldn't walk out of the restroom without a wound on him when Cardin and his friends trashed the locker. A part of Jaune hated leaving Pyrrha worried like he did, however.

Something told him he would have some explaining to do to her.

_I wonder how I'll explain this to Mom... _

Jaune knew these sorts of things were reported to parents almost immediately. Pyrrha would have taken this up with Ms Goodwitch and try to have her deal with it. But for why he hadn't received an angry call from his mother, Jaune didn't know.

_This is perfect..._

He reached behind his head to rub his neck. Jaune let out a sigh as he did so, coming up with a list of stuff to do in the meantime. He had promised to go see Ruby eventually, and this was probably the best time to go do it. There was plenty of free time on his hands now, and Ruby was most likely going to come looking for him some time or another.

_I'll just leave the uniform on... Ruby's going to freak out anyway. _

Jaune turned right back around and walked out of his house. He could already hear the sounds of Zwei barking incessantly at something. Whatever it was, Jaune didn't really care at the moment. He assumed it was what dogs just did.

Coming to the front door of Ruby's house, that same sense of dread began crawling up Jaune's spine. That same feeling from when he first saw Yang today. It left him with a poor taste in his mouth.

Three knocks to the door signalled to the occupants that someone was here. With the knocking came Zwei. The corgi bolted up to the wooden hatch and slammed against it, starting to aggressively bark at the person on the other side. His nails scraped against the wood with about as much vigour.

_Someone's a little grumpy today... _

"_Zwei, get down_," someone yelled from inside the house. Jaune could tell it was Ruby. The unique tone of her voice gave it away. As she reached the threshold, however, Zwei would not back away from the door, continuing to claw at it without pause. Ruby took him by the collar and dragged the animal to the other side of the house, tossing out back.

_Guess he can smell me... That sucks, I liked Zwei. _

Jaune would have to try his best to avoid the dog for now. He didn't want the puppy to go completely ballistic every time there was a vampire in his presence. People, he was fine with, but not dogs. Jaune didn't have the stomach for that.

As the front door opened, Jaune did his best to put on a believable expression. The nervous smile/goofy grin he had always kept on. When Ruby locked eyes with the boy, however, this facade quickly melted to become unemotional.

Ruby looked like crap. That word 'tired' was written all over her face. Yet, when she saw Jaune, her expression came back to life. In a very concerned way, but not a zombified version of the girl anymore.

"_Jaune_," she yelled loudly, stepping out from behind the door. Her speech running faster than even Jaune could track. "_W-What happened to you at school! Pyrrha said you got beat up and then disappeared! And they've been trying to call you all day! We were super worried! So, why-_"

"_Ruby_," Jaune said, interrupting the girl before she could continue. His expression shifting back to a more concerned one. "I-I'm fine, seriously. I just got punched twice, and I don't care. But what about you?! Yang told me you two ran into a mass murder!"

Her expression faltered a little at that, probably remembering the events once again. "Yeah, that..." she mumbled, kicking at the ground with her right foot. Ruby's eyes cast downwards before returning to the Blonde. "Do you want to come inside?"

Jaune nodded, and Ruby invited him inside. She led the way into the house, closing the door behind the pair. Once through the hatch, Jaune turned around and leaned against a nearby piece of furniture to face Ruby.

"So, how bad was it?"

Ruby took a second to come up with an appropriate adjective. She pursed her lips slightly, turning her eyes down while thinking about it.

"It was really scary," she answered meekly. One of her hands pushed up a loose sleeve on her shirt. "Like something out of a horror movie..."

"Yeah, I got that impression from Yang," Jaune replied with a shrug. "Stuff like that's been happening all over the city lately. People have been finding bodies all over the place. Then there was that explosion downtown..."

Jaune had looked into some of the murders over the past few weeks. Not the massacre Ruby and Yang had seen, but other unrelated events. Aside from the people he killed, Jaune found nothing similar to a vampire attack anywhere in Vale. Just random violence. These more vampiric killings only started after Jaune drank blood for the second time and found Crocea Mors.

"Really," Ruby asked with a disappointed tone and look. Kind of like a puppy denied a treat. "_This whole weekend is ruined..._"

"What do you mean," Jaune asked. His heartstrings were plucked by Ruby's saddened expression. It took a lot for the boy to keep his own composure.

As Ruby realised Jaune was poking into the secret plan of her's, she blushed heavily. The girl's expression and posture morphed into something resembling embarrassment. She couldn't even meet his eyes, and the girl began fidgeting with her hands.

"W-We were shopping for supplies," Ruby confessed. "Because after what happened with Weiss, I thought we needed to do something fun to get your mind off of it. Like going to an amusement park, and hanging with Ren and Nora to play games..." Her hands dropped down to her sides. The embarrassment replaced with a now melancholic expression. "But we dropped everything in the blood, and now that there's a killer out there we can't go out."

_She ran into those bodies because of me?_

Jaune clenched his teeth, trying his damndest to hold back this anger welling up inside him. What Cardin said didn't elicit this much of a response. Because everything Ruby had been put through last night was all because of him.

It was his fault that she was going to be haunted by the images of those bodies.

Ruby would never have been put in that position if it wasn't for him.

If she was going to those lengths to ensure her friend could at least cheer up, then Jaune had to repay it in kind.

"_No_," Jaune said, rising from where he rested. His tone bore such a strength that it would have made anybody's spine tingle. "We can still go, Ruby. I don't want to lose out on having a fun night out with you guys."

**_Because whoever did this to you is going to die._**

* * *

**You done goofed. **

**Honestly, this chapter was just something to move events along. I couldn't jump from last chapter's events to something else without having some other moments in between. I really wanted to have a Pyrrha perspective too. Nothing here is meant to be awesome. **

**However, if you have been paying attention to the events of every chapter, there is something you might notice. **

**Think, E****wige Wiederkunft and you'll figure it out. **

* * *

**Encyclopedia of MAJMLYAI. **

**Vampires: **

**Jaune**

**Aliases: Leonhardt, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**Weapons: Crocea Mors, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**People Consumed: 10**

**Major Arcana: Unknown Element**

**Pasty**

**Aliases: Element Unknown**

**Friends/Allies: **

**Ruby**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Yang**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Pyrrha**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Weiss**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown**

**Blake**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**


	13. The Entrance of Rubedo

_**FRIENDS!**_

**Tonight, on this most auspicious of evenings, I present to you the first appearance of Rubedo. This fellow traveler to accompany our Citrinitas.**

* * *

**This chapter is more quickly paced than the previous ones. It also leads us into a big event. I have taken liberty to not write another 15,000 word chapter like Morgendammerung, so I'm splitting it up into three parts. The second piece will be about 8,000 words and the third will be similar in size.**

**This is when shit gets crazy.**

**If you have any questions, please wait till you get to the lower AN. I will have some splainin' down there.**

**However, everything in this chapter has a purpose being here. I've left tidbits of information that you might find gives stuff away. **

* * *

**[Pyrrha: Beacon Academy]**

Pyrrha was a woman on a mission.

She stormed through the halls of the administrative wing, looking for Ms Goodwitch's office. The complaint's from the secretaries wholly ignored as the Champion moved right past them. Not even the questioning looks from the other faculty were enough to stop the woman. Everything was just another obstacle in her way. She didn't care what anybody thought of her.

Immediately after what happened with Jaune, Pyrrha decided enough was enough. She had allowed this to go on for far too long in the hopes Cardin would leave her friend alone. One of her _best _friends was being tortured repeatedly for some unknown slight with no end that could be foreseen.

What had the boy ever done to warrant this?!

So Pyrrha was on her way to demand something be done about Cardin. Jaune was undoubtedly not the only person who had a target on their back, and the Champion knew this well. Targeting faunus students, and messing with just about everyone else who didn't meet some sort of arbitrary standard was another one of his many pleasures. The worst part was that every one of those kids was too afraid to stand up for themselves, and she would be doing everyone a service by taking care of matters they couldn't handle on their own.

Finding the door leading to her desire, Pyrrha didn't even knock as she pushed open the wooden hatch. The occupant inside merely looked towards the disturbance with a deadpan expression. Like Pyrrha was some minor nuisance that just interrupted her morning coffee.

"Ms Nik-"

"**Ms Goodwitch**," Pyrrha growled, interrupting the woman. Without missing a beat, the Redhead shut the door behind her. "**Did you know Jaune was jumped by Cardin and his friends?! Inside the school when he was all alone! I left him by himself for not even two minutes, and they were already beating him up in a bathroom! Then they destroyed his locker if that wasn't enough!**"

Pyrrha was seething with anger now. She hated herself for leaving the boy by himself when she knew Cardin was bullying him. Everyone had failed Jaune by not taking this bullying as seriously as they should have. The teachers and his friends were just as culpable for Cardin's crimes as they stood by and did nothing when they had every opportunity to do something.

"Ms Nik-"

"**What has the school done to protect him,**" Pyrrha cut off the woman once more. "**Everyone knows what Cardin's been doing for the last two years! Not once has he even been suspended for beating up a student. He's dumped food on Jaune's head in the middle of the cafeteria, and nothing happened. Jaune was forced to clean it up!**" She took a step towards the older woman. "**Do you even realise how depressed he's been these last few weeks?! How much worse Cardin is making it for him after Jaune was humiliated by the girl he loved?! If nothing is going to be done about Cardin, then I will-**"

"_Ms Nikos_," Goodwitch interrupted, taking off her glasses, and staring down the girl.

Her voice was filled with a certain gravitas that made the girl clam up in response. It was calm, yet domineering in a way that would make anybody fearful of her. Her expression radiated this same intimidating air about the woman. If she spoke, then anybody without an equally strong will would bend to her's.

The woman leaned forwards, placing both her arms on the table and interlocking her fingers. Goodwitch's piercing green eyes continued beaming down on the Redhead without mercy. They squinted just enough to project this feeling of thinly veiled anger even further to intimidate Pyrrha.

"_The situation is being handled as we speak_," she explained in the same calm demeanour. "_Now if you are done, then I would run along to your next class..._"

_That's bullshit!_

"But-"

"**_What did I just say_**_,_" Goodwitch interrupted, switching over to a more intimidating tone of voice. "_Do not try my patience. I can understand your anger; however, the situation will be dealt with accordingly. Do, we have an understanding?!_"

"Y-Yes, ma'am..."

_[Unknown Location]_

_The gentle tempo of the strings grew slowly with every passing moment—this orchestra in perfect synchronisation with the movements of the crowd. The guests gathered in the centre to pay witness to the leaders of this waltz. The pair dancing to Strauss' Emperor Waltz._

_They stood in the centre of a massive basilica. The floors lined with an expanse of golden marble where no seems could be found between the panels of stone. Above, the stars were visible through massive panes of glass, allowing moonlight to shine through and light their way._

_Within this room, no darkness could be found. Not even the shadows from the dancers gathered here._

_"We meet once again, Leonhardt," the girl in front of Jaune said. Her beautiful voice calling forth every fibre of his being. She grabbed the skirt of her dress, partly kneeling into a curtsy._

_The woman was almost a foot shorter than him, forcing the boy to look down directly at her. Jaune unable to visualise her face as it was obscured by a shimmering white miasma. Yet, she was beautiful. Not with a soul to compare to. Jaune knew this to be so._

_She was garbed in a white ballroom dress crafted from the most beautiful fabrics known to man. A halter neck gown crafted from lace and tulle. The former making up the top, exposing some skin through the cloth yet covering her breasts enough to avoid indecency. With the skirt, the tulle hung from waist here the two met. Several layers were attached above a plain white cloth, ending in a swirl of frills._

_Without a word, Jaune returned her gesture with a bow. Speaking a word did not come to mind. The girl seemed to know where he was moving to next. She immediately approached, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other in his right. Jaune merely closed the embrace by resting his hand upon her lower back._

_From there, the two moved slowly about the ballroom. The strings growing alongside the brass until the two sets achieved the height of their tempo. A shift to the right, spinning with each other in their hands. The slight dim of the orchestra's pace signalled a change in the direction of their twirl._

_Then came the abrupt pause of the instruments, allowing Jaune to extend his arm fully with the girl in hand. She spun away from him, catching herself on the Vampire's hand as she reached the length of her own. The Ghost held her palm in his before Jaune snapped it back, pulling her towards him and into his embrace once more._

_She let out a light giggle at the move, finding comfort in the arms of the man before her. In contrast, Jaune was simply a man wet behind the ears standing before a beautiful woman for what felt like the first time. His body throbbed with anxiety, forcing him to simply go through the motions._

_Whatever he felt was right as they danced together._

**[Jaune: The Next Morning]**

Walking through the halls of Beacon, Jaune headed towards his locker. He carried nothing on him as everything was lost the prior morning. The boy holding no illusions as to the state of his school supplies, expecting to find the container empty. Or for everything to have been thrown back inside in a damaged condition.

Before him, the hallways were parted down the centre. Everyone had stood aside to allow him to pass through without interference. Their gaze occasionally turned towards the Blonde before quickly glancing away lest they be caught.

Taking in a deep breath, Jaune listened in to some of the conversations taking place around him. Everyone spoke in hushed tones, trying to not let themselves be heard. However, none knew how easy it was for the vampire walking around among them.

"_Did you guys hear about the fight yesterday?_"

"_I heard Arc scared off Cardin!_"

"_Jeez, dude must have gotten tired of his shit... Takes some balls to fight back like that._"

As expected, Jaune once again caused a ruckus. Luckily, none of his friends had come up to the boy yet to check on him. Ruby was the only one he had seen today, and not a word was spoken about the others. Aside from the angry texts he was sent, Jaune hadn't been in any contact with them.

And Jaune didn't care.

He was once more biding his time for tonight's grand event. His focus, everything about Jaune Arc was funnelled into the Hunt. Like the night he forged Crocea Mors, this desire burned brightly inside of him. It made his hand throb in anticipation. The gentle burn from Crocea Mors was no longer that, but a hot branding iron pressed against his skin. That same feeling when the Ghost had held his hand.

Every second felt like it would last an eternity now. The boy had no desire to rush time along now, savouring every moment. He lived those moments now joyfully and without regret for what was to come. After all, everything was for his friend.

_"Leon..."_

The sound of the Ghost's beautiful voice echoed within his head. It made Jaune's heart race with just the chance of hearing it spoken to him once more.

The thought filling a void left inside the Vampire.

Within these last few days, this feeling of dissatisfaction had quickly risen. Some bottomless pit forming within his chest. Deep enough to swallow the world whole. Jaune only beginning to truly feel this hole's presence. He did not have words to describe it in detail - just this feeling of hollowness that now took over his body.

None of his efforts brought any sense of relief to this feeling of emptiness. Despite all the pain and torment, the Vampire had realised he didn't feel any different from the night he fought Pasty. His emotions were almost frozen in a way. Only now finally entering this state.

When he thought about the Ghost, his body lit up in small bursts. Feelings he didn't understand appeared and disappeared within an instant, leaving him back at this hollow disposition. He almost had to chase the thought of her to feel these things once more.

In his mind's eye, he could see both himself and this Ghost dancing in the centre of a ballroom. Their waltz the sight of envy among the other participants standing on the sidelines. A never-ending cycle of beauty repeating that very same moment time and time again.

The feeling of her hand on his once more as they circled the grand stage. Even if her face was obscured at this moment, he knew it would be revealed to him someday.

Oh, did Jaune wish for that moment. He relished it - body, mind, and soul. If tonight would bring her back once more, then a battle would only suffice.

Finally arriving at his locker, Jaune stared at the metal box for several seconds. There was a part of him that did not want to look inside for fear of what he would find. However, Jaune forced himself to put in the combination, allowing him to open the locker. As he pulled it open, the boy inspected the contents within.

Everything was here.

It was just as Jaune had left it yesterday morning. Nothing was broken or even out of place. The torn notebooks were no longer such. No tape or other adhesive was used to put them back together. The calculator was reassembled back into its original condition. It was as if the locker had never been disturbed.

_Strange..._

He was sure these supplies were all his. Each had his handwriting on them. Jaune's bag neatly tucked into one of the lower compartments. There was nothing to indicate anything had been replaced. Such a thing would have been impossible to pull off.

**[Weiss]**

The girl was wandering the halls, waiting for Ruby to arrive. The one or two texts Weiss was sent detailed how the Redhead was doing at the present moment. Her usually bubbly friend was back to normal now. Only after a day of this intense despondency she suffered from.

It made the Heiress' heart ache, knowing Ruby had seen such a horrific murder. Yang had described some of it to her friends, and they were justifiably speechless at the barbarism. The knowledge that whole groups of people were butchered in a single place was the most startling part. Just how they managed to not attract the attention of any bystanders boggled the mind.

_Hopefully, they close the school..._

As much as Weiss didn't want anything interrupting the school year more than it already had, she felt it was justified. Those explosions in downtown Vale were one thing. Massive gas explosions according to the news and police. But with those murders happening alongside them, it was probably for the better that school was at least suspended for a week or two.

No students had been caught up in either of those events, but Weiss felt it was just a matter of time. The massacre Ruby had found was not the first one either. Yesterday, there was one, two days before that a similar one, and four days ago another. The first of the four was not as barbaric as the last two. Those men killed with a blade of some kind, dealing single wounds. Not sliced apart as Yang described.

If one massacre took place every single night, then Weiss suspected there would be a fifth tonight. The thought of it made her sick to her stomach. She really hoped her prediction would not come to fruition.

A person backing into her brought the girl out of her thoughts. Weiss looked up, ready to give the uncouth man or woman a lecture about watching where they were going when she saw the reason for this move. When she saw Jaune walking down the hall.

Everybody parted for his approach, standing aside like he was a king riding through the onlooking mass. Their speech dimming to the point it was barely audible. All stared at the boy like he was some sort of aberration.

As he walked among the crowd, Jaune did not pay attention to anything and everything. The boy's expression was one of purpose and unwavering resolve. Every footstep that touched the ground caused it to wake in his pass. He didn't even seem to be here among the other students. His mind and soul resting in some far off world where his motive lie.

Despite those bruises and cuts on his face, he still held a joyous smile on his lips.

_*Ta-Thump*_

Weiss felt her heartbeat within her ears. It heralded a pain that rippled throughout her entire body, beginning from within her heart and tearing outwards. This sudden outcry from her nerves raced through the girl at blinding speeds, shocking Weiss like it had been a lightning bolt. It made the girl's body feel so weak, yet invigorated to the point where her heart beat a million times per second.

_What... is this?_

Weiss limped away from the crowds and around a corner. There she slumped down against a wall, resting her back against it. A hand came up to her chest, grasping at the flesh with white-knuckles. Pacing her breath did not seem to stop this sensation. This most horrible of feelings.

Her entire soul felt like it was being ripped away from her body. That was the only way she could describe what was happening.

Without any more thought, Weiss climbed to her feet and moved as fast as she could away from here. The painful sensation following her along the way.

**[The Library]**

Coming to the library, Weiss found the table where her friends were sitting. All here minus one from their group. The obvious one who couldn't bear to be around her. Not that she wanted him here anyway.

She didn't need the stress along with this pain. It still burned gently on her nerves but had since dulled. The impression on her mind, however, made her fearful of it returning. A stimulus-response reaction already created. Even the thought of that pain made the girl sweat.

Without a word, Weiss pulled back a chair, dropping herself into it and slamming her head against the table. The force of her cranium hitting the wooden surface shook everything resting atop of it. Whatever conversation her friends were having ceased with this intrusion. Each stared at her like they had just seen a ghost. They only exchanged worried glances, pondering what they should do.

"Are you okay, Weiss," Ruby asked with worry in her voice. A hand on her shoulder made the Heiress tense up.

_I'm not okay, Ruby! Can't you see that!_

Weiss was about to make an angry reply but stopped herself. With a breath, her mind calmed enough to clear itself. She knew Ruby was only trying to check up on her and didn't need it to be thrown back in her face. They were friends and friends made sure they were doing okay.

"I think I'm having a migraine," Weiss explained, speaking into the table. "My whole body hurts..."

_Only after seeing Jaune..._

She heard Yang and Pyrrha get up, surrounding the girl on both sides.

"Do you want to go to the nurse," Yang asked, kneeling down to Weiss' level. "We can carry you if you want?"

"Yeah, I've had migraines before, Weiss," Blake added on, closing her book and setting it on the table. "You really should go lay down..."

Weiss didn't think she wanted either of those things. Where she was felt perfect. A nice comfortable chair and cold desk to rest her head on was everything she needed right now. The girl didn't think she could stand from here if she had to. Her entire body felt like glass.

"No, thank you," Weiss replied, folding her arms on the table to block out the light. "I'm fine here... I think I'll just to rest for a second..."

"Okay... if you say so," Yang said, heading back to her chair. Pyrrha following as well.

As the group settled down once more, Weiss decided to just listen in and not say anything. Nora, Pyrrha, and some of her other friends scooted closer to conceal their conversation. Anybody outside their group would not have heard anything over their harsh whisper.

"You're telling me Goodwitch isn't going to do anything," Ren exclaimed with anger perforating his voice.

"I didn't say that," Pyrrha replied with a similar tone, gesturing with both of her hands to project her emotions. "She said it was going to be dealt with accordingly."

_Just sweeping it under the rug..._

A concept Weiss knew very well.

"Ah, come on," Nora barked. "That's teacher speak for, '_Oh, we're not going to do anything!_'" She balled up her fists and looked towards her friends with the biggest puppy dog eyes she could make. "Please, let me break his legs!"

Weiss almost feared for Cardin's safety now. As much as he hated the boy for hurting Jaune, nobody deserved that fate. The Valkyrie's strength was the stuff of legend. There was no doubting that she could snap the bully's leg like a piece of balsa wood.

"Did you guys see Cardin, yet," Yang asked the group. "I think _somebody's_ already done the job."

Weiss poked her head up as she heard this. All of her friends shuffled closer to the railing they sat next to. Below them were Cardin and his friends sitting at a table. The boys telling jokes and genuinely being a nuisance to those who were trying to study.

Although Cardin's mood was subdued this morning. He did not behave in the same childish manner the brute always did. Cardin was trying not to be noticed by anyone or attempting to bother any passersby.

Searching for the reason why, Weiss found a series of bandages and ice packs all over his right arm. Examining the limb further, she could tell the hand was badly hurt. The tissue was swollen up to three times its own size halfway up his arm. His knuckles were even worse as they were almost black in colour from the bruising.

"_Jaune,_ did that," Ruby asked with disbelief. Her jaw had fallen open as she pointed towards the boy's broken arm. "He told me Cardin hit him! Not the other way around!"

_Jaune's face would tell you otherwise..._

"I think Jaune got some licks in," Yang noted, cupping her chin. "But he's not a fighter... I mean rumours are already going around Jaune did something that got Cardin running scared."

**[Ruby]**

The girls plus one Ren had gathered tightly in Port's classroom. Their attention focused solely on Jaune calmly sitting away from them. The teacher's words ignored without care for punishment. Not a peep from the group was heard as they watched Jaune with bated breath.

Jaune was acting weird now. That's all Ruby could describe it as. For someone who was beaten up yesterday, he did not show the usual shame or fear one would have. It was like the bully's words hit their mark but merely slid off him a few minutes later.

The scariest part was the boy's smile. This smile was not one of happiness but an almost predatory one in place of it. Weiss had said something about him being almost too happy, and she was right. For someone acting so down a few days ago, this rebounded mood was unsettling. Like nothing that happened mattered anymore to him.

Jaune was currently sitting up, propping his head upon his right fist. His expression was still this everpresent grin moulded by the hand touching the cheek. The boy's cobalt eyes stared straight forward, and through Mr Port, like he wasn't even there. Jaune was sitting here with the students, but nobody was home right now. He had drifted off somewhere.

**[Jaune: Vale]**

The boy stared up at the full moon hanging above him. The sound of wind whipping about him filled his ears. His hoodie and jeans flapped against him with this forceful rush of air sent from the ocean. The sounds and smells of the city carried along with it.

"**Tonight is a beautiful night**," Jaune said, continuing to stare into the black abyss. A smile on his lips, exposing the Vampire's fangs. "**Nothing could be more perfect...**"

Compared to this, nothing could ever hope to rival. As with the Ghost, it simply wasn't possible. No man under the sun could ever hope to conjure a more ideal picture, even with the aid of magic. Especially for the purposes of tonight's grand event. The first of the climaxes in this magnificent play.

Jaune inhaled sharply, taking in a deep breath of the coastal air. The smell of salt and fish present on the wind. However, there was one more stench hanging about as its own distinct miasma. The scent of freshly spilt blood in the air. This ichor running freely through the streets of Vale as water during a storm.

He turned slightly, pointing his face in the direction of the wind. A cluster of buildings a mile away was the source of tonight's massacre. The smile on Jaune's lips stretched even further, going ear to ear. His perch creaking under the weight of the boy crouching on it. This lampost, the nest of this mighty eagle.

Jaune pushed off slightly, shifting forms to a more suitable figure for this journey. The swarm of vampire bats travelled at blinding speeds just over the canopy of the concrete jungle below. Upon reaching it, he dropped out of the sky and crashed into the ground with a solid thud. The asphalt daring to crumble beneath his feet.

This alley was like the one Ruby described. It ran red with the gore. The sight of bodies and blood was only an afterthought to the Vampire. He spared not an ounce of pity towards these people. Mere human debris caught in the wake of some bigger beast. Nothing they could do would ever hope to prepare them for what they faced.

His purpose was a far grander concept than their fate.

Jaune knelt down on one knee, taking the image in. There were men, women, and children among this pile of wet meat. Their bodies sliced apart in the same manner as the previous murders. Twenty or so corpses, in total. Deciding to inspect the wounds further, Jaune picked up what had once been the centre of a thigh.

The wounds were perfectly straight — no rough edges from a saw or axe of any kind. From the depression of the flesh, it looked as though something wrapped around the bodies before slicing them apart. Nothing like a pair of shears. No this was a wire of some kind.

A garrote wire, more accurately.

_I understand..._

Jaune dropped the thigh into the blood below. It splashed in the puddle, causing a minor ripple to form in the pool. The reflection from the moon became distorted to the point where its shape could not be discerned.

_Whoever did this, left the blood for me..._

The Vampire dipped a single finger into the gore. It immediately began funnelling into the limb, overtaking his entire hand. The bodies, continuing to add to the pool soon had their flow diverted to the beast taking a drink from it. This oasis in the middle of the jungle was the source of fuel for tonight's act.

The serial killer leaving these bodies around could not have been a mere coincidence. When these killings started almost four days ago, Jaune had crafted Crocea Mors for the first time. Only the night after, did this killer first appear. Their true purpose was unknown, yet, they and Leonhardt were tied together it seemed.

As the final drops of blood entered Jaune's body, he could feel a surge of energy begin racing through him. It simply made the boy feel stronger. Like he could go toe to toe with anything standing in his way. A rush of adrenaline spilling out into his bloodstream, dulling his nerve endings and granting him the ability to perform feats a normal human could not.

This raw power was far more than what he had experienced before. Frankly, Jaune was curious to see what a more powerful source would provide. Would it make him pass out? Would it cause him to accidentally unleash something beyond his control? Even with all of these predictions, there was no way to reliably divine the future.

The sudden emergence of a large explosion over Vale turned Jaune's attention from the bodies. He could see the fireball reach up and over the rooves of the buildings surrounding him. The heat radiating outwards from this blast would have been felt by everyone within a mile. The orchestra beginning their climb to the prestissimo.

_Well-well-well..._

Jaune cocked his head slightly, smiling at the new stimulus provided to him. He wasted no time, leaping up in the air and transforming into a swarm of bats. The mass quickly turned and bolted in the direction of the explosion, tearing its way across the sky.

He came to the street where the flame erupted from, finding the entire area scorched. The heat from the blast had almost melted the asphalt and concrete into a molten paste. Even the ground was on fire. Cars, people, and the buildings themselves were not left untouched. The black husks of the corpses were frozen place - converted into carbon statues.

"_PLEASE_," a young girl screamed out in pain.

Jaune turned to see her laying on the ground. Half of her body was burned too badly to be considered flesh anymore. The charring so significant, even moving the girl would prove fatal. Putting her down at this point would be a mercy.

The Vampire could not move to provide it as what seemed to be a wire cut across her neck, severing the head completely. The skull fell from the girl's shoulders and landed on the ground. An expression of anguish frozen on her face.

From behind, another wire was coming straight at his body. The steel string tearing through the molten asphalt as it was dragged along the surface. Jaune jumped away, easily dodging this first attack. He landed almost ten feet away, beginning to scan the area for his opponent.

He could not find the source of this attack. Whoever they were, they had managed to hide themselves completely. Not even their scent could be discerned from the background.

Jaune heard another set of wires directed towards him. The faint whistle from them passing through the air gave it away. Even the speed of this attack was nothing to him. It could not compare to what Pasty was capable of.

He turned his body to the side, stepping past the first without effort. Three more were cast in his direction, mimicking the opening attack. Their formation as a single row told the boy what he needed to do — Jaune dove through the gap they created between them, sliding to a stop on the other side.

Suddenly, a dozen wires crept out from within the darkness. A stream of tentacles only a few molecules thin, wildly whipping their limbs to snag any who came close. Their blue-grey hue allowed Jaune to follow them back to the source. A shadowed crevice seemingly where the fireball had emerged.

With a silent command from their master, every wire lunged for Jaune at once. From all directions, they surged forth at blinding speeds. The Vampire did not move from his position, however. He stared at the attack without fear.

As the wires were about to reach him, Jaune moved at speeds no human could track. He grabbed every single cable and allowed them to entangle his hands. Each of his fingers was bound tightly by these wires wrapping around them. Without notice, Jaune immediately clenched his fists to trap whoever the caster was.

Jaune's expression transformed into a smug grin as he yanked back on the wires to draw his opponent out from their hiding place. Whoever was attached, was immediately pulled into the light and within twenty feet of the boy. The sheer force which he pulled with was enough to force the killer to fight back to maintain their balance.

To Jaune's surprise, the killer was nothing more than a girl. She was a foot or two shorter than him, nearly Weiss or Ruby's height. However, there was no way for Jaune to get a correct identification on her. The woman's skin and clothes were cloaked in this blackened miasma that reduced her appearance to a mere silhouette. The only other discernable feature of her's was a ponytail and her lithe figure.

As the girl settled into a proper stance, the fire in her blood seemed to return. She pulled back on the wires, forcing Jaune to put effort into staying upright himself. The two now locked in a dangerous game of tug of war. Their fates now connected by mere strings.

Jaune was elated with the situation proposed to him. This was his chance to make the Ghost appear through his will alone. And he would not disappoint.

* * *

**Now, if you are wondering about the sudden change in mood from Jaune, it has something to do with the Ghost. I won't go into further detail about it. He may have wanted to get revenge for Ruby, but this Ghost has also influenced Jaune's actions.**

**Also, do realised, that Jaune had taken the blood of twenty more people tonight. That is double what he's taken spread over several days. If you have seen how powerful he is before, imagine what he's going to be like now. **

**Everything else can be learned if you have questions by PMing me or leaving a review. I might not give everything up, but I will clarify things.**

* * *

**Encyclopedia of MAJMLYAI.**

**Vampires:**

**Jaune**

**Aliases: Leonhardt, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**Familiars: Crocea Mors, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**People Consumed: 30**

**Major Arcana: Unknown Element**

**Pasty**

**Aliases: Element Unknown**

**Friends/Allies:**

**Ruby**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Yang**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Pyrrha**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Weiss**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown**

**Blake**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**


	14. The Symphony of the New World

**On this night, Jaune follows in the steps of our Lord, Kazuma. He shall give this woman her equal rights and lefts. **

* * *

**Okay, er'body I finally got this thing done. I put a shit ton of work into this thing. I took a break in the middle of working on this because I'm trying not to get burnt out between work and writing. I played a shit ton of RD2 over the last few days. **

**But! ****I did something even better! **

**I just started playing The Last of Us Part Dos. I fucking love this game! The combat is in my opinion better than the first game and I had more fun with it as I've played through. The story, though, I'm not sure yet because I still need to beat the game. I like it so far, but I was super pissed about what happened in the beginning! (Not angry at the developers because it was bad since it was pretty good. But just mad about what happened.) And don't fucking spoil anything in the reviews! People still need to play the game and I want them to experience it! **

**However, onto this chapter. I'm not really going to say much. I did an entire sheet's worth of acid - read Nietzsche, and still couldn't understand what the fuck he's rambling about. (I kinda do, but this mans is on an entirely different level than me. I'm not going to try acting smarter than I am, so I will admit it.) **

**Most of what's going on in the next two chapters might not make sense right now, but it will be explained later. J****ust remember the rule of cool for everything else guys. And the fact Jaune's a little crazy right now. **

**If you have any questions, just save them for a PM or when you reach the lower AN. **

**Now back to committing more war crimes in Company of Heroes. **

* * *

Jaune tightened his grip on the wires interlaced within his hands. The near-invisible strings cut into the Vampire's skin, causing blood to ooze from where they coiled. No pain erupted from the wounds. Jaune's entire body ignoring the sensation as a minor nuisance.

The hands of fate that brought Leonhardt and this killer here were watching from the shadows. These partners were going to begin their waltz just for them—a battle between a true monster and something mortal. A woman beyond compare to her peers. Yet, still within the heavenly grasp of purity. There was not a human or faunus who could stand before this creature and call themselves her superior.

She was perfection incarnate. Even if the mind behind this character did not truly realise it, yet. Such a beautiful soul trapped behind a thin veil. Oh, how the audience would cheer once it was broken.

Now, Jaune could hear their murmur. Their excited whispers as the curtains were about to rise. The audience could not hold back their applause any longer. They waited with bated breath for only a mere glimpse as to what they were in for.

"**_Listen_**," Jaune shouted. His voice bearing an inhuman charisma that silenced all who stood before him. The gravitas radiating from the boy called forth all to pay heed to his words. "**_You and I are at the centre stage! Let us perform the finale of this first act! We cannot leave them waiting!_**"

Jaune opened, pulling back on the wires tangled within his hands. The superheated asphalt crumbled beneath his feet with the sheer force which he leveraged against it with. No matter to him, however. The buildings and stage they stood inside were a mere backdrop for tonight.

Nothing was sacred in these grounds—a land unhallowed without those with authority to declare it consecrated. Everything here was meant to be destroyed at this moment.

The wires pulled the woman forth against her will. Her own weapon used against the purpose she desired. Those strings dragged her through the air and into a building behind Jaune, slamming her through the solid brick wall with enough force to crumble the entire thing.

As she disappeared into the structure, the wires attached to Jaune's hands faded as well. The pressure of those strings removed at the same time. Any wounds on Jaune's hands were healed instantaneously.

The boy marvelled at his new strength. Everything had changed within only a few minutes. Now, he was no more a mere target to be used as a punching bag, but a combatant, taking the fight where he desired. A warrior fit to use Crocea Mors to deal the final blow. All in the name of his desire.

Suddenly, the sounds of falling bricks filled his ears. Jaune turned his head to see the woman pushing the mass of building off of her with no effort at all. The weight of that entire structure was nothing to her.

The audience became noticeably excited with this turn of events. What was presented as a mere mortal to them was far more than meets the eye. A few within the crowd let out stifled gasps seeing the antagonist rise from what should have been her grave.

**_Yes... _**

As the woman rose to her full height, Jaune felt her eyes upon him. Those rage-filled windows to the soul burned brightly even beneath the blackened miasma surrounding her. Leonhardt brushed it off without a care.

The Vampire was jubilant at this moment. His heart raced with the thought of battle once more. The sounds of swords slashing through any foe before his gaze brought him to rapture. As this woman stood to oppose him, the sight of the unknown crept upon the horizon. The thought of treading in this place nearly brought the boy to tears.

_Is this what it feels like to be alive? _

These two warriors were beginning to paint something beautiful. Their canvas already worked upon by billions of souls, tirelessly slaving away at it with an unknown picture in their mind. Leonhardt and the girl were soon going to take over this limitless medium and create their own story. Damned be those who interrupted this sacred dialogue!

For Jaune's entire life, he'd been one of those painting without any idea as to what they were truly doing. A mere slave to fate. Now, here he was—the architect of everything around him. Centre stage in an opera of his own making.

Its orchestra was conducted by his own design—the instruments fashioned from Jaune's bones. They played a tune that only he could manage, depicting the madness taking place tonight. Its rise to the prestissimo created by the strings and accompanied by only the finest brass the masters could conceive.

The woman leapt at Jaune with unprecedented speed. She raced across the distance between the two in less than a second. More than enough time to catch the boy off guard, drawing out her wires to unleash a single concentrated attack. Her weapon amassing into a large blade created from thousands of these steel filaments.

Without thinking about it, something clicked inside Jaune's head. A spark of creativity to propel his performance to the next level. It was a sensation he couldn't describe. Almost comparable to mere instinct. This concept was a part of him as were the traits that made Jaune into the boy he was.

His hand pulsed once, burning brightly where Crocea Mors lie.

**_Crocea Mors - Das Ewige-Weibliche Zeiht Uns Heinan _**

The blade appeared in a flurry of shimmering light just in time to meet its opponent. They clashed in an explosion, creating a blinding flash along with shattering the ground beneath them. The entire street around this battle turned to dust as the shockwave blew everything away. The cars, people, and every building within three hundred yards were levelled in an instant. Destroyed by an unseen wave conjured from the forces at play.

Only the combatants taking the stage remained. They stood at the centre of the crater with their blades still together. Neither moved an inch despite the monumental force that emanated from within their strike. At this moment, the battle was entirely balanced. Not a single scrap of ground could be gained. Such was the consequence when two souls of equal will met each other on the battlefield.

However, Jaune pushed forth despite the law currently set in motion. Not even the forces imposed upon him would allow the Vampire to be stopped. He took a single step, pushing back against the weight of the world pressed upon him. Another followed, causing the ever-mounting oppression to be lifted once more.

Jaune let out a battle cry, throwing every ounce of strength he could muster into the blade he wielded. The Ox Guard was the foundation for his final stand, only to serve as the point of liberation. As the Vampire extended his arm completely, more and more energy began to build within the two weapon's meeting place.

Another explosion came from within, only this time, steered in a single direction. The Killer was launched over a hundred yards back. Her body landed several times on the earth, skipping over the debris like a rock across a body of water. The dust on the ground kicked up with every moment of contact.

As the Killer's travel came to a stop, a large cloud of dust began flouting about in her wake. Jaune could not see anything within it. Not even the scent the woman produced tainted the air. It had never appeared in the first place.

Jaune smiled darkly, beginning to walk in the direction the girl was. His footsteps created a light crunch with every movement. It echoed loudly in this otherwise silent stage.

He scanned the dust cloud for any sign of the girl - Crocea Mors at the ready for anything to come from within. The sound of his heart beating filled his ears, quelling the otherwise damning silence. Soon rose the anticipation for another clash. It became insufferable to wait any longer for it.

Hearing something only a hundred feet away, however, Jaune stopped. The sounds of debris being moved. Something metal being torn from beneath another object. As soon as it appeared, it silenced itself.

A massive object shot from within the dust cloud at breakneck speeds. The Killer having thrown an I-beam weighing thousands of pounds like it was a javelin. Its flattened end directed towards Jaune's chest to deal the killing blow.

Jaune reacted nonchalantly to this attack like all the others. He merely swiped Crocea Mors across the steel beam, slicing the entire thing in twain. Its two halves splitting apart and burying themselves into the concrete behind him. The ringing of their metal frame came as the bells of the orchestra.

The Killer threw another from within the dust cloud. Jaune cut that one to pieces as well, deflecting the beam with his sword. The makeshift spear rocketing off far into the distance, causing more damage in its wake.

"**_Heheheh_**," Jaune laughed at this.

His entire body ached with this rush of blissful rapture before him. Never before had Jaune experienced this sensation. The Vampire swore the Ghost was watching him from the sidelines, gazing up at him from the audience. Her entire body silently cheering him on to victory. Only her presence raised the stakes of tonight's performance.

Once more, the Killer dove at Jaune to attack him. This time she unleashed her weapon, trying to cut the boy to pieces from multiple angles. Her wires jutting out from within her fingers at lightning speeds. Two to Jaune's right, another from above, and eight more wrapping around his left.

Jaune parried to the right, cutting straight through the steel wires. They snapped instantly with only a graze across their lengths.

"**_Come on_**," Jaune shouted mockingly towards the woman. "**_When are you going to hit me?! Don't tell me you've lost your confidence! You had plenty when you terrified my friends! Plenty more when you attacked me! So, when are you going to excite the audience?! GIVE THEM SOMETHING THEY WILL NEVER FORGET!_**"

He cut the wire coming at him from above. However, these first two attacks were mere feints to get at something else. The rest of the wires wrapped around Crocea Mors and pulled it from within his hand. Jaune's blade then thrown far beyond his reach and disappeared behind a set of buildings.

No matter. Jaune whipped around and gave a brutal uppercut to the woman's chest. The sheer force behind it was enough to launch her far into the air. With no building to stop her, she sailed more than a hundred feet to the climax.

Jaune followed her up without hesitation. The swarm of bats quickly rose to meet the woman in mere seconds. Once he reached her, Jaune shifted back into his human form, cocking his arm back as far as he could manage.

"**_RAAARGGHHH_**," Jaune screamed as he propelled the fist forward.

This punch connected with her stomach, folding the woman over the arm that dealt it. A loud crack emanated from their meeting, causing a massive shockwave to rip through the air. Suddenly, the needed momentum reached its peak, throwing the woman back at speeds faster than the human eye could track. The woman tore through the air like a mere ragdoll now.

She travelled until she found another building to stop her. The brick wall she crashed into was sundered with this new force, crumbling as its structural integrity was ruined. That entire face of the building now falling onto the very object that destroyed it.

Jaune landed before the ruins, his abrupt stop clearing all of the dust in the air. There was no sign of life here anymore. Everything had been annihilated in one fell swoop. However, Jaune knew otherwise. That woman had survived several other hits of equal magnitude. She would have brushed this off as well.

He reached into the rubble, picking up a mass of bricks and turning it over. There, he found her lying on her back. She was out of breath; it seemed. This one attack making its mark on the woman. Unlike the others, she had felt the full force of this one.

Jaune picked her up by the collar, lifting her into the air. One of her hands came around to grasp at his wrist but could nothing to free herself. The Vampire only stared into the black abyss where her eyes should have been, preparing himself to deal the killing blow. He cocked back his arm, forming the hand into a rough point. Jaune was going to finish this battle with only mercy, quietly snuffing out this life by tearing out her heart.

Such a sad way to go. Not the destiny he had hoped for this soul. Jaune had only wished she would have done more to give a show. Something to push Jaune to fight at his fullest strength. A battle to compare to the sheer onslaught of his German counterpart.

_Should I? _

Jaune was not sure about his hesitation. He knew this was the only way to preserve his friend's safety. Putting this girl out of her misery and stopping the monster would accomplish that. Yet, he wanted more—something to draw the Ghost out from wherever she hid.

This battle was nowhere near what she required to present herself. She needed the finale of Othello, Julius Caesar, Hamlet! The Ghost required the stage to be set. The script perfected. The players to have put their all into the Grand Guignol from the moments the curtains had risen to when they fell. There was no possibility that she would deign to rise from her seat to grace Jaune in this finale.

The woman shifted in his arms once more. Jaune pulled himself out of his mind to focus on her. Behind that thin veil, he could have sworn there was a smile on her face. A maddened one that a character would bear when they were pushed to their absolute. When they faced a beast knowing their death was upon them. When the warrior charged to face it gladly.

**_"Musphelheimr_**," she spoke. Her voice carrying a profound reverberating effect. Its eery tone froze the air around her just with the single word spoken. "**_Lævateinn! The souls of unjust shall be cleansed with flame!_**"

As the final word of this incantation was spoken, a ball of flame erupted from the space between the warriors. It quickly grew in size and magnitude to the approximate volume of a basketball. Upon reaching this point, it exploded with the same energy that wiped out the street earlier.

Jaune could not react in time for this attack. No matter what he could have wished for, there was no avoiding it. The Vampire did not even attempt to shield his body, taking on the explosion with complete acceptance.

As the flames washed over his body, Jaune could not feel a thing. The heat did not touch him. It was as if someone had thrown water at him instead. This attack, having no possibility of causing harm to the Vampire. Only the pressure imparted upon the air from the explosion pushed him away. The shockwave was comparable to a five-hundred-pound bomb going off directly in front of him. Its full force directed straight at his chest.

Even if it had not done any damage to him on the surface, the move stunned Jaune greatly. His entire body felt as though it shut down instantly. The shockwave had done something to cripple him to the point of being a mere statue. Silencing his whole world by shattering his eardrums into the dust, causing a deafening ring to form inside his head.

The explosion carried Jaune off his feet and into the air. Soon the girl was nearly three-hundred feet away and growing further. Jaune ascended up and above the canopy of these apartment buildings with no loss to his momentum. There was not a thing he could do to shift into the swarm of bats to steer himself back to the battlefield. He was once more a mere rock thrown through the air towards its intended target.

When Jaune approached the apex of his flight, the stars came into view once more. Without the glaring light of the city, he could see them as clearly as he had when he first waltzed with the Ghost. The sudden feeling of deja vu crept across his mind with that errant thought. His entire being immediately succumbed to the desire that brought him here in the first place.

A joyous smile stretched across his lips.

For what was a man without a desire? The first act a soul will ever perform is to covet. Whether it be wealth, glory, or love. A dream is but the simplest notion that any man will find solace in. It will drive him to kill, to storm the very gates of hell, or to sacrifice himself upon the altar of this world to suffice the terms, achieving the long sought after vision that had driven him to madness.

All these things were a mere nuisance for those that fanatically craved something. The very same concept that allowed Jaune to forge Crocea Mors. His entire being was pushed to the very brink, yet, he would not crumble before the weight of the world. In fact, he pushed back, causing everything before him to shudder in fear of what they created.

So, Jaune knew that tonight would be everything that he wanted. There was not a chance he would allow the opera he had written to go awry. If need be, Leonhardt would draw out this performance, pushing the actors he had recruited to the very edge of their strength. He would play the part intended for him to the absolute perfection that was demanded.

The audience would be given the opera they deserved.

As Jaune's thought came to a close, he could see the faint shine from a collection of lights behind him. Immediately after, he passed through two massive wires, barely skimming one by less than a foot. The greater structure had arrived at soon came into full view. Black and silver wires holding up the bridge that stretched across Vale's bay.

Jaune finally touched down, slamming into the upper deck of the sprawling structure. The entire thing, seemingly quaking with the grace of the falling object. Its concrete platform shattered with every impact of the Vampire. Only skipping across the street several times, did Jaune halt when he crashed into the metal railing stretching the entire length of the bridge.

His back bent the steel, forming an indentation in the shape of his body. Yet, he still felt nothing. No pain or even a broken bone this time. His clothing remained in perfect condition, not with a tear or thread out of place. Only his hood was displaced, revealing his blonde mane to the world.

Jaune pushed himself away from the railing to throw himself back on his feet. The slight grasp of his hand bent the steel like it were an empty can. Even the rigidity of the solid bar meant nothing to the Vampire. Yet, Jaune remained well aware of the upper limits of his kind's strength. This bridge would not survive a true duel between those at the apex of their power.

He turned to face the direction where he had come from. Jaune scanned the sky, waiting for the Killer to go after him once more. She would not have given up this easily. If she were leaving out these massacres for Jaune, then that attack she had pulled was a surprise. Something to break out from within his grasp.

All of her efforts were not going to be spent fighting someone directly. If the Killer were going to run, then she would have done so before Jaune noticed her presence.

She was hunting him.

As expected, Jaune spotted his opponent racing across the skyline of the city. She was coming straight at him, throwing any caution to the wind. No sign of her weapons or even a transformation to manage those speeds. Just flying faster than the eye could perceive.

She was the mighty hawk diving to catch a mouse. Her talons extended only to dig them into the side of her prey. An ordinary rodent would never see such a thing coming. Yet, she was duelling with the lion, King of the Jungle. No beast of this variety would allow themselves to be caught in an ambush.

Jaune braced himself, using his right leg to dig his hold into the concrete. The boy was unconcerned about how the bridge would withstand such intensity. If it broke, then Jaune would not care any less. His only focus was on the now, taking the fight to the opponent charging at him.

The Girl cocked her right arm back, splaying out her fingers as if she going to swipe at something. Her long mane whipping about as it became caught in the strong winds. Every ounce of her body was put into this one attack. There was not a single shred of reluctance to follow through with it.

As she crossed the threshold of the bridge, Jaune made his move. He stepped forth, time feeling as though it slowed down around him—the girl inching her way towards him slowly enough for the boy to catch her off guard. He reached out, clasping a hand around her forearm and gripping it tight enough to feel as though it would snap. With a tug, Jaune pulled her towards him, throwing her momentum off its intended course. He followed through, grabbing her shoulder with his other hand and locked the girl into a clinch.

**_Gotcha! _**

Jaune threw a knee upwards and into her gut. The crack that emanated from within echoed even with this vast expanse of open air. Whatever organs remained inside this girl's body were surely turned into a fine paste. Experience told Jaune precisely what he needed to know. Her spleen and kidneys were currently split in half and poured blood into her abdominal region.

The girl countered, slapping away one of Jaune's hands before landing a solid punch against his stomach. It threw him back nearly fifty feet. His feet sliding across the concrete and not leaving the ground once. Jaune only stopped when he backed into a large truck parked on the side of the road.

As he regained his stance, Jaune starred at the girl for a moment, studying her condition. She was breathing heavily, clearly worn down from the battle at hand. The injuries she should have received meant nothing to her, though. She merely brushed those off without any mind.

Without a thought, the two opponents charged forth once more. Jaune bolted ahead at superhuman speeds, and the girl did the same. The two were a mere blur to any onlookers currently watching. This opera's orchestra began playing at their fullest, once more climbing to the dreaded prestissimo.

She kicked at his head - only for it to be blocked by Jaune's right hand. The force imparted between the two shook the superstructure they stood upon. Only the combatants were spared from the onslaught. Jaune replied with a brutal left hook, throwing the girl across the bridge towards one of the shores. She landed on top of a car, flattening the vehicle with little effort.

Jaune continued pressing forth the ensure his advantage. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest, not from exertion, but from utter joy. The exuberant feeling one received when they were at the centre of everything. When they had the cheer of the crowd bearing down upon him as he charged to glory.

His hands shook without control. Every nerve in his body had been set alight by this awe. Jaune's hands were conducting the opera at their fullest, waving about wildly to direct the strings to rise and fall in their tempo. He pointed once to the brass, giving them their cue to rise from a gentle andante through the moderato.

**_I can hear their cheer... _**

**_Soon..._**

**_It won't be long... _**

**_I shall have you appear at my side once more!_**

The boy leapt once into the air, coming down on the girl with another right hook. This punch buried her further into the truck, causing the cabin to crumble. Jaune followed up with another to her chest. The vehicle below was nearly bent in half with this blow. Everything under the cabin had been forced downwards forcefully from above.

The crowd began growing ecstatic along with the boy. Each member of their ilk was on the edge of their seats. They could hardly bear to wait any longer.

He hit her again, crushing the young woman with the strongest of the three punches Jaune delivered. This was the one that broke the car. Everything else under it could not withstand this attack either, disintegrating as the girl passed through it. As she cleared the vehicle, the bridge underneath was shattered by the object. Jaune cocked his arm back to hit the girl once more, sending her tumbling down through the entire structure. The steel beams holding everything up were bent as if they were nothing. They each snapped as the girl crashed through them, leaving a twisted collection of metal in her wake.

As she flew through the first deck, the girl found the rail deck underneath. Without any trains to stop her fall, she merely crashed through that one as well. The rails were twisted and snapped by her body, creating a hole in the centre of the path. However, there was nothing else stopping the Killer as she travelled. There was only the vast ocean under the bridge. Jaune watched as she plummeted to the blackened abyss, losing sight of her after a few moments.

Only the sounds of the water catching the debris were heard. Far too loud for a body hitting the sea at this height. The concrete and beams were masking the sound.

Jaune stood up, hopping down from the vehicle. The rest of the car soon fell into the hole as the bridge continued to crumble, swallowing the entire thing whole. A few moments later, the splash from the hunk of metal echoed from below.

_Was that it? _

He walked over to the side of the bridge, looking down into the depths. The feeling of disappoint began to form in his stomach. He could not see anything down there to indicate the girl was going to rise up and continue their battle. The finale of this act remained unsatisfactory. Jaune's wish for tonight could not come to fruition.

The crowd had grown silent with this. Where Jaune had once heard their murmur as they watched the events play out before them, they now vanished entirely. The orchestra alongside them. Even the gentle vibration of the strings had come to a halt - it was too quiet to hear.

_"Leon..." _

The hollowness had taken over his body. The rush, the excitement of this battle tonight was gone in an instant. He felt nothing—no stimulus throughout every fibre of his being. The husk of a man stood in its place—a pitiful little boy without any sense of self. That same creature who faced a monster only a few days ago only to be set upon this path.

**_Why? _**

**_Why did she have to see me again?!_**

Jaune couldn't get that voice out of his head. Its sweet melody branded his mind, leaving a blackened mark in its wake. Such a pain to bear only to feel nothing when experiencing it. A paradox to drive the normal man insane.

The phantom had taken something dear to Jaune only to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for him to follow fruitlessly. To leave behind the hint to a treasure so beautiful without compare could only be considered cruel—that same wickedness dwarfing the words which Weiss used to cut Jaune down.

"_Ngghhh_," Jaune grunted, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Both of his hands weaved themselves into his hair, gripping tightly to the blond locks. "_FUUUCKKKK!_"

Jaune turned and punched a nearby pile of debris, completely annihilating the concrete. No passionate sensation of anger appeared within his chest, eliciting the surge of cortisol to pour into his veins. His stomach did not tighten up with this panic. Only feeling the icy clasp of a chain around his wrists emerge from the shadows.

He was scared of this sensation. Terrified that he would become some mere nihilistic, apathetic shade who was incapable of finding pure joy anymore. When Jaune was running away from the thought of killing his sisters, he discovered something that brought him that satisfaction. He struggled against himself and overcame his baser nature.

_I need this... _

_I have to give her what she wants..._

It was no longer blood that sufficed. The mere thought of those passions which made a man who they were, became addictive—love, hatred, and anguish. A small taste left him wanting more. Enough to fill the seas with a mere drop of what that craving required.

Jaune turned back to the hole where he had sent the girl plummeting to the black. The urge to dive in after her to retrieve this opponent became intoxicating. He needed to finish what he had started tonight and draw out the woman who set him forth on this path. The maiden that gave Jaune a glimpse into what could only be paradise.

The damned girl.

Jaune stood upon the edge of this precipice. The same location where he had desired to end it all once before. He glared into this bottomless pit without fear for what lie below. Such a place was favourable to his current condition.

As he was about to take the plunge, Jaune could hear the waters beneath the bridge begin to toss and turn. A deep hiss emanated from below. The sounds of water being superheated into a vapour. As if the molten earth below the waves cracked open to spill forth into the depths.

_What? _

Jaune backed away from the hole, preparing himself for what was to arrive. The scene taking on a new player to substitute for the one lost in the throes of battle. They did not enter stage right but from the pits of hell itself. Whatever they brought forth could only be considered unholy by the common man, only to terrify those who called themselves zealots.

He turned to the edge of the bridge, looking out onto the vast sea this structure acted as the gateway to. A red glow appeared from beneath, still causing the sea to churn. Jaune dared not to look over into the abyss, waiting for this leviathan to come for him instead. Its form coming into comprehension being conceived by the forces which acted upon this night.

Slowly, the strings of this opera's companion orchestra began to climb once more. The audience made themselves known for the first time in what felt like ages. They each gasped in awe of the monster being formed just behind the veil where they could not see. Their imaginations taking over their rational thought.

As the orchestra climbed past the andante, the water under the bridge began to shift in great volume. Millions of gallons were parted to make way for this creature to rise from the depths. The cacophony was the bells ringing, declaring the descent of angels to this earth. Their song filled the air, bringing with it this trembling.

Suddenly, a towering column of water shot out from the ocean. Its height reaching several hundred feet above the towers. Once the water had achieved the climax of its flight, it rained down upon the bridge with the force of a hurricane, dumping thousands of gallons onto the deck. The deluge soaked Jaune thoroughly, submerging him in the icy seawater.

Jaune ignored it all, staring into the blacked horizon before him. The sting of salt in his eyes did not matter. He could feel this beast beginning to rise from its coffin to greet him. His entire being succumbing to the grandeur taking place at this moment.

The boy's heart began racing once more. His body shook with trembling at this creature's approach. Not with fear, but with anticipation. His stomach twisted itself into a knot, threatening to clench down only to never release itself.

"_Heheheheh_," Jaune allowed a quiet laugh to escape his lips. His hands met each other with enthusiastic applause, the clapping echoing throughout the setting in which they stood. Its cacophony a sharp contrast to the monster swimming below.

Jaune felt like a giddy young boy. A moment akin to the time his parents bought him a toy or gave him the gift he wanted for Christmas. His body could hardly withstand the excitement of this battle anymore. Even less so, when the other player had finally returned to her place.

And finally, the creature came into view.

A skeletal hand, half the length of the bridge, rose up from below, placing itself on the deck. The gentle touch of this colossus was enough to snap the cables it graced and to nearly bring the entire structure down into the ocean. This deck was turned sharply, almost at a fifty-degree angle, which forced Jaune to compensate to keep his balance.

This hand's metallic sheen phased between colours - from a blood-red to a pitch dark. Yet, there was no tissue to be found here. This arm was not of bone, but rich steel, stronger than anything forged by man.

Indeed, an artefact created by forces beyond their nature. Only a being with the power to rival gods could have imagined this sentinel.

As the creature allowed its hand to rest on the bridge, the steel composing the structure began to melt. In fact, the heat this giant gave off made the air shudder all around it. Soon, everything around it would succumb to the unforgiving hellfire.

Jaune watched this go on with an unflinching expression. He did not fear this creature in the slightest. Where gazing upon a monster such as this made other men run in fear, he welcomed this madness. Jaune found everything here moving, and soon the artists would begin working on their masterpiece once more.

At that moment, the rest of the beast made itself known.

The expanse of material that rose from within the ocean was enough to dwarf a mountain. Yet, only the spherical shape of a skull could be seen presently. It surfaced from an unknown space where there was room to contain it within. Jaune could only watch as the head ascended to gaze down upon him.

This skeletal body was so large that Jaune could not see around its skull. The eye sockets were hundreds of metres in diameter, beaming down on all with their deathly visage. Where the optical organs would have been, only a bottomless pit shrouded in darkness remained. Similar for any hole that remained exposed on the colossus.

Only a few hundred feet away, the giant stared at Jaune directly, ignoring all for the sake of its target. No emotion could be derived from the face with just the jaw hanging slightly agape. This mindless beast appeared to be frozen for no explained reason. Just a statue acting as Vale's, 'Rhodes Colossus.'

As soon as it seemed the beast would not make any move, it reared its entire body backwards. The massive jaw opened to its fullest before the giant thrust itself forwards, letting out a booming howl. No object on the bridge was capable of remaining upright as the force behind the roar blew a vicious torrent of air in that direction. Jaune himself had to compensate, anchoring himself into the ground as to not be blown away by the hurricane-force winds.

He could feel the audience's fear rise. Some members panicked and fell out of their seats. Even the Ghost was forced to shield herself from the sight, having never expected such a thing. Her body managed to let out a small yelp at the surprise.

The moment the roar ended, the giant pulled away from the bridge. Its massive left hand left the structure, plunging itself back into the depths to act as a support. In one move, the beast stood to its full height, moving quicker than anything that size should have. From a distance, it would have seemed to be in slow motion - a mere trick of the eye.

As it rose to its feet, Jaune was able to capture a glimpse of the giant in all its splendour. Standing one-thousand metres tall, clad in nordic battle armour, gleaming even in the night. This lamellar armour covered most of the beast's chest, extending down to its knees. Gaps were left open, exposing the skeletal insides of the monster. However, the arms and legs were not covered in this same style, bearing a pair of metal gauntlets and greaves. All crafted from the same material as the giant itself.

Without warning, the creature made its first move, cocking back its right arm. The very earth trembled as the giant shifted its weight. As the beast propelled that arm forth, a cone formed around the fist. Its intended destination where the Vampire stood.

Jaune turned and bolted down the bridge, moving at superhuman speeds to avoid the blow. His pace well over several hundred miles per hour. The street crumbled from the sheer force his legs imparted into the ground. Behind him, a cloud of dust became swept up by the vacuum he left in his wake.

He didn't bother to look behind him as the bridge was annihilated by the fist. The force from the impact blew everything beneath it apart. None of the deck could withstand such a blow. The wave created by the fist swept out an entire tower without any effort whatsoever. This wall of water not stopping until it slammed into the shores, destroying any building in its path.

Jaune leapt into the air, phasing into the shadow mist to escape the debris ejected by the attack. He quickly shot into the air, zipping up to the height of the giant's shoulders. From here, he could see the damage the impact had created. The giant still not having noticed his absence.

As the walls of water came surging back to fill in the space left open, the giant pulled away—the crater left in the bed of the bay nearly a hundred feet deep. The walls of water sucked in all of the debris caught in the initial calamity, filling in the crater with ease. Such a mess caused by only a single attack would have spelt doom for the city had it been within the heart.

Jaune put no more thought into it, looking for a way to bring down the giant. He scanned the entire length of the beast to find an opening, yet came up empty. There was not a nexus to be found where one could target it as a mere organ.

When the giant stood up, it turned towards Jaune suddenly, staring the boy directly in the eyes. Those shrouded pits bore down on him, projecting this sense of unease onto him. A similar feeling to when he fought the German vampire. The aura unleashed by this creature enough to startle any man.

No, it was not him feeling this. The Ghost - his unearthly companion, was the one who was afraid of the beast. Her fright was felt strongly by Jaune as well as her. Their emotions in sync at this very instant. Like a pair of children watching something that frightened them for the first time.

Jaune froze in the air for a mere moment, allowing the giant to get the drop on him. It cocked its head back, opening its jaw wide. There, a red glow began to coalesce within - electricity jumping about the deepest regions. Blood red smog boiled over the edges of the gaping maw, pouring down the side of its face.

The beast lunged forth, firing a red beam directly at Jaune. This breath of fire came barreling towards Jaune nearly as fast as he could fly. In less than half a second, it was already upon him. He was only able to avoid it by mere inches lest he be annihilated by the breath.

Its heat was felt, however. Jaune could hardly stand to be within a few metres of the fire. His skin felt as though it was being cooked rapidly from the flame. Such a pain coursed through his entire body at once, causing him to cry out as he fled from the attack.

_Need to get away..._

Jaune dove towards the ocean, racing to reach the waters as fast as he could.

The giant followed him every step of the way, constantly unleashing flames from the pits of hell as a plasmic beam. Its ability to track Jaune as he flew hundreds of miles per hour was nothing short of impossible. No technology could have yielded this same effect.

However, as Jaune attempted to dodge the fire breath, the beam continued onwards. Anything caught within its path was destroyed. The tallest skyscrapers in the centre of the city were cut down as Jaune flew from side to side, having ascended trying to throw off the beast. Nearly five in total were crippled at once.

The upper third of the Schnee Tower had begun to slide off from its pedestal. Jaune was only able to catch a fading glance as it tumbled down into the city below. The impact of the collapse throwing up millions of pounds of dust into the air. Soon the other towers began to spill into the streets, falling in whatever direction gravity intended for them.

When Jaune turned to continue evading the fire breath, the giant was already tracking him. The beast's gaping maw was already preparing to fire another salvo in his direction. He was caught in the path his opponent had destined for her attack. It was coming straight at him. He was going to be turned to ash, nothing left of his body to tell his story.

_Not here... _

_Not in the first act..._

Without thinking about it, Jaune unleashed Crocea Mors. He brandished the blade with both hands, entering the Ox guard. The fine tip of the sword pointed directly at the beam. Jaune braced himself against an invisible bulwark.

The boy's face remained expressionless. His entire being was focused on what was before him. Not on the horizon - the unknown. Such was not his concern. The way his body moved, how he gripped his blade was. Every muscle in his body directed towards a single end.

As the two met, a golden aura formed around Jaune. The laser fired from the giant's gaping maw could not penetrate it. Only did the flames pass around Jaune, forming a cone just where the point of Crocea Mors lie. The air surrounding him shook with the force of an earthquake, constantly emanating an unfathomable amount of energy.

The duel dragged on for what felt like ages. Jaune using everything he had to hold back the tide. This heat bearing down on him every moment - every second, he stood here. His strength waning as it continued. His hands began to shake. His muscles began to tire. His entire body was running out of the energy to continue this charade up.

Jaune was reaching the limits of what this body was capable of.

_I need more... _

This one desire appeared within his mind—a lone thought inside this empty captivity. Not the hope to bring his aethereal companion to this world. Just a simple craving for power.

_I need everything... _

"**_Ich liebe alles_**," Jaune muttered under his breath.

The golden aura surrounding Jaune flared even brighter than it had before. Its radiance pushed away the flames growing intensity with ease, creating a sanctuary for the boy. No sound entering this place. Only a peaceful bliss where he could stand for all eternity.

However, Jaune looked down upon Crocea Mors, feeling it move in his hands. The blade shifting into a different form entirely. Its clay-like texture extending nearly eight feet in length. A solid haft forming where his right hand lie. In his left, the end of the form moulded itself into a blade, nearly two feet in length. Its gold and white colouration was broken by two pieces of ribbon hanging beneath the blade. The gold and red cloth, flapping wildly in the wind.

This beautiful spear was nothing like Jaune had ever seen before. Its craftsmanship was beyond compare - undoubtedly dwarfing the sculptors of the colossus. Only the greatest of men could imagine a weapon such as this.

A blade crafted solely for Jaune. Meant for him. Destined to reach his hands and to never be held by another man.

He cocked back his arm, aiming the spear for the heart of the giant. A flare of golden light erupted from where he grasped the weapon. Its aura surrounding the spear, encapsulating it in the glare. It pulsed once before Jaune propelled it forth.

The spear parted the barrier surrounding Jaune, carving a path through the plasmic beam. It travelled without any sign of slowing. Nothing capable of stopping the weapon. It continued, flaring the same golden light around it until it slammed into the giant.

Where the spear landed was immediately clouded by an explosion. The golden fireball concealed the upper half of the giant's body, only presenting a ring of light shooting out from within. As the dust cleared, Jaune could see the damage he caused.

The colossus' upper body was opened, exposing the ribcage beneath the armour. A single wound, travelling from the centre of the chest to the left arm. The limb was hanging off by only a few threads of the lamellar—this rough v-cut going all the way through the back.

The intensity of Jaune's attack left the giant stumbling. It roared weakly once, trying to thrash about to continue this battle. As the arm finally severed itself completely, the beast seemed to shut down. Its body falling backwards into the ocean. The entire mass sinking beneath the waves in a matter of seconds.

_I got it? _

Jaune took a single breath, marvelling in his victory. His chest became filled with a surge of emotions, causing him to laugh cluelessly. In fact, his entire body became weak at that moment. Everything grew limp so suddenly, Jaune fell to his side. Without the ground to stop him, he stayed plummeting straight to the earth.

He could only gaze at the stars as they continued to grow farther from his grasp. Jaune's eyes closing entirely before he hit the water.

* * *

**Jaune fucking one-shotted a fire giant. He didn't really get what he wanted with the whole Ghost thing in this chapter, though. **

**Also, the girl gave a big ol' fuck you to Schnee Tower. **

**A lot of what I had intended for this fic was for it to be ridiculous. Just cool shit going on the whole time with little bits spliced in between. So, this fight is not the last one that's going to be like this. I've assembled the finest actors for this script and I intend to push the stage to the very limits of what it can take. **

**I wonder what will happen when it breaks? **

**But I've got nothing else to say really. Anything else can be explained with nuance or stuff in the previous chapters. **

**So, eat ass and finger blast your way across this beautiful world, baby birds! **

* * *

**Encyclopedia of MAJMLYAI.**

**Vampires:**

**Jaune**

**Aliases: Leonhardt, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**Familiars: Crocea Mors, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**People Consumed: 30**

**Major Arcana: Unknown Element**

**Pasty**

**Aliases: Element Unknown**

**Friends/Allies:**

**Ruby**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Yang**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Pyrrha**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Weiss**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown**

**Blake**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**


	15. The Awakening of Gold

**I finally got a chapter done on time! **

**I was sick this week from the not-Rona, so I had plenty of time to get shit done. And I'm super happy with how this chapter turned out. **

**This chapter specifically will answer a lot of questions and will also set us onto the events of the next act. However, I will also give an explanation down in the second AN, so save your questions for there. (Also, Pasty is the German vampire that kicked the shit out of Jaune. Somebody had confusion about it, but I'm pretty sure I made that clear.)**

**I understand if these last two chapters are a bit confusing, but everything in this story has a purpose and is not put in there for shits and giggles.**

**I also have a DnD character you guys might like. **

**Jerrel. His quest is to find the greatest meatball sub in all the land.**

**But one more thing! **

**This story reached 700 followers! **

**That means I'm doing something right or 700 of you have really bad taste in writing!**

* * *

The feeling of a hand tugging on Jaune's hoodie brought him out of his slumber. As his eyes snapped open to discern his location, they were met with the burn of saltwater. Nothing else could be seen as he was deep within the bay, far enough down that no light could penetrate the sea. The only thing he could follow was this phantom hand pulling him upwards.

Jaune chased after it, swimming towards the surface as fast as he could. Despite the depth at which he was submerged, his lungs did not feel the need for any oxygen—another testament to Jaune's newly found nature. His body wholly ignoring the mere desire to avoid drowning. Such a thing would have brought terror to Jaune only a few days ago.

Now, he only felt an eery calm wash over his body.

It was similar to the void left inside him the prior morning. That terrible sensation had been enough to elicit such horror several times over the day. Having woken up without any feelings to speak of made everything feel wrong if that explanation sufficed.

Jaune didn't the have the words to describe such a thing. Feeling hollow was the only word he could label it with. Or how one would feel when their actions led to a disappointing conclusion. His body was expecting one thing but was gifted with another, unable to determine what sensation was appropriate to express.

When he was fighting that girl on the bridge, Jaune felt like he had the entire world at his fingertips. He was having the greatest time of his life-consequences be damned. Like the moments he was hanging out with Ruby or dancing with the Ghost. It was everything to him, enough so, he allowed himself to focus on only one thing.

Upon surfacing from beneath the waves, Jaune was able to get a clearer picture of what was going on around him. The sight of the destroyed skyline of Vale was most evident. Millions of pounds of dust were kicked into the sky and the air surrounding the destruction, blocking the view for the most part.

_She did that? _

Jaune had seen the towers fall when he was dodging the giant's attacks. At the time, he hadn't really cared, losing himself in the battle, unable to consider the consequences of his actions. Jaune acted entirely on impulse in those moments. An invisible guiding hand inside of him, taking the wheel over his own rational thought. The pure desire to both defeat his enemy and please what he thought would be the Ghost's summons took control.

He was only able to perform one of those feats. The Ghost still remained invisible to his eye. Jaune was sure her hand was the one that woke him, however. A minor effort to bring him back from the brink once more? Jaune couldn't be sure that was the case. Yet, he wasn't even sure she was watching his performance go on any longer.

Jaune could not feel the audience's eyes on him. Their once vocal gasps had fallen silent, having watched such an act play out. A triumph of one's will over another. They were not sitting with bated breath, waiting for what came next.

Only a few moments ago, Jaune knew of their existence. It suddenly emerged without warning. Whether it be imagination or reality, Jaune could not truly understand. They appeared and disappeared with the performance, having been following the height and depths of action.

However, with this end, it only left Jaune back where he began. His actions tonight having done nothing to correct his circumstances. The audience had not given him the satisfaction he hoped for-no applause accompanied by the standing ovation he craved.

Swimming towards the nearby shore, Jaune could feel his body's frailty. There was not much left in the way of power to his disposal. Those twenty bodies had been almost entirely used up to fuel only a few attacks-two of which were exceptionally powerful. Enough to be wary of using without proper consideration.

Those two attacks were mere thoughts that Jaune had willed into existence. An instinct much like how he had been operating on the battlefield. It came so naturally to him, the boy didn't find them all that strange in his eyes.

What couldn't be strange when you were doing battle with colossi appearing from underneath a bridge, or vampires capable of annihilating an entire city block with one punch?

Jaune certainly had no idea. Tonight was something to be enchanted by; however, it was not that way for him. This battle felt like more of a shallow victory. Something that was almost too easy for him to achieve. It did not have the same effect as his battle with Pasty, even if he felt the exact opposite during the event.

As he pulled himself onto the southern shore, Jaune brought himself to his feet. He looked around once more, allowing the sounds of the city to fill his ears. Fire engines roared into the night sky, accompanied by police, and shouts of thousands of people. It was utter chaos, and Jaune was right in the centre of it. He immediately sprinted up to the retaining wall running along the edge of the beach and leapt over it.

Landing atop the ledge, Jaune looked around at the destruction in front of him. The entire port had been swept away, leaving a few ships and containers tossed about. Beyond that, residential buildings and businesses were left with minor damage from the wave. The same couldn't be said about the apartments on the shore opposite of Jaune. They were nearly flattened and taken into the sea.

_*Ta-thump*_

Jaune felt his heart beating loudly within his ears, echoing within his skull. The sound preceding a pain that shot through his entire body. It hit him with such a force that he nearly doubled over and fell to his knees. He went to grab his chest to attempt dulling the pain, but it would not work.

_Blood... _

He needed more.

Jaune shrugged off the burning sensation smouldering within his heart and trudged onward. The need for him to take blood once more had arisen—a familiar sensation he could understand. Unlike whatever had come over him upon his second meeting with the Ghost.

He walked a lone path into the destruction standing before him, feeling nothing aside from that unending calm. The equilibrium between achieving the satisfaction he so desired and the hollowness threatening to take him over. Jaune only snuffed out the errant thoughts, allowing him to once more concentrate on what he should be working towards.

**[Deep in downtown Vale] **

As Jaune wandered the streets of the city, he gazed upon its inhabitants. Men, women, and children - many were aimlessly meandering from place to place. All races and creeds marched onwards to a simple goal. Their only aim was to take their leave of this place and find comfort somewhere else.

While watching them, Jaune noted their expressions. There was hardly anything to call out. Every one of them was an emotionless husk, too shocked to muster up even a frown. Compared to Jaune, each of them was merely a shade—hunched over and devoid of any life. This notion allowed Jaune to stand taller than all. His stature remaining unyielding and determined. His eyes focused solely on moving forward.

The Valaens were running in the opposite direction Jaune was heading in. Where they fled terror, he charged headlong into it once again. It made the difference between them and Jaune even more apparent.

Jaune wanted to feel pity for these people. Yet, he couldn't. There was a distance between them and himself that prevented such a thing. What they had been put through compared to Jaune could not stand up to scrutiny.

Regardless, they were not assisting each other in their endeavour to escape. All were having a measly stroll through the streets of Vale. There was no such urgency. They were merely leaving a room too hot for their liking. Not one man or woman rose above the rest to guide these people to safety. There was not an ounce of courage to be found here.

A week ago, Jaune would like to think he would have been the one who blindly charged into the fray to assist these people. He saw it as the right thing to do. Not as some moral obligation, but because he wanted to help. One could say he was doing something similar; however, the boy had other things in mind.

His search for blood was not going as well as he would have liked. Jaune could not bring himself to massacre a group of random people to take their strength. He had to ensure he was defending himself or taking down another enemy to make that deed worth the effort.

Jaune's own morality was in shambles after battling Pasty either way. Everything he had once believed in had crumbled and fallen into ruin. Outside forces saw to that quite easily. Even a moral code with such simplicity as Jaune's could not withstand the test of time.

He didn't feel terrible for the people that got caught in the crossfire regardless of the loss. Jaune had not personally done the deed, reducing their lives to an abrupt end. He'd only been there to take what was left. That girl and Pasty were the ones who's actions led to those innocent's deaths. Without Jaune, such massacres would have taken place regardless of his presence—violence he had no real way of preventing.

Which is why he needed to scavenge from someplace where there would be bodies present. To prevent any further harm he might cause, Jaune was not going to look for a fight. It may have seemed hypocritical to suddenly avoid fighting when he has already assisted in the deaths of hundreds. Still, it's merely what Jaune wished for to prevent needless bloodshed after tonight.

_How am I going to figure that out?_

He only needed enough to defend himself if it came down to it. Jaune's desire to avoid any fighting would only go so far if he ran into his two adversaries once more. If that scenario played out, there was no viable way to prevent the deaths of innocent people. At least, not without allowing himself to nearly be killed.

Jaune pushed past another crowd and realised where he had ended up. It was that crossing where he had lost himself to the thirst—that place where he shouted the word 'Blood' in his head over and over again. Jaune could clearly remember every second of that episode. Such a thought made him feel nostalgic for the naivete he had once found himself in.

Back then, things were simple for Jaune.

Sure, having his heart broken was damage enough, but at least he didn't have to go through this intense suffering. Yet, that struggle made him feel as though he was on another level. Like he had transcended the Jaune of old and into another version of himself.

It was a confusing thing. Jaune's entire life had been upended after killing only a single man. His own power had become a part of Jaune's as well, allowing him to perform feats that no ordinary human could. To his former self, all of these things would have been laughable if another came to him with the information.

As Jaune looked around for a place to potentially scavenge bodies, several ideas had come and gone. The first and foremost was to investigate the site of the collapsed buildings along the coast but threw that idea out immediately. There would be a significant presence of police and rescue trying to search for people under the wreckage.

However, with the current location in which he stood, Jaune was gifted with an idea. The police had taken possession of the boy's first kill. They would have taken him to a morgue to discern the exact nature of his death. In that place, there would be dozens of other bodies awaiting examination.

With everything taking place tonight, the chaos would be the perfect distraction to slip inside and take what he needed. So, Jaune turned and walked in the direction of the Vale Police Department's nearest precinct. A familiar place where his father had once worked when he was still alive.

**[Police Department] **

Jaune emerged from within the shadow of a nearby alleyway. A swarm of bats having entered the passage shortly beforehand. Without much power left inside him, he needed to use it sparingly. Just the quick hop from a mile or two away left him too drained to wield Crocea Mors.

_Where's the morgue?_

He scanned the building, looking for any signs of guards and entrances that he could use.

The most obvious clue was the near lack of police cars within the parking lot. Only a few remained behind to man the station and take care of other duties. Jaune guessed the rest had gone to the bridge to search for survivors and to help coordinate their response. Knowing that, there would be a handful of police inside who might even notice the boy.

As Jaune continued staking out the building, he noticed the garage where many of the police vehicles would have gone to be serviced. Next to that, there was an adjacent building. It was on a lower level than the garage, connected to the basement, but there was a set of stairs leading down to it. What gave him the identity of the building was the large assortment of industrial air conditioning units attached to it.

A snort escaped his nose with the discovery. Jaune immediately moved from within his cover to cross the street. There were no people present or vehicles crossing the road which could give Jaune away. However, he still kept his hood flipped up to avoid the cameras. Even having the gumption to head into a den of lions, he still managed caution.

Jaune slipped past the glass windows at the front of the building, and around the corner where he had seen the morgue. His footsteps did not make a sound despite the sneaker's usually squeaky disposition. Any person who would have caught a glimpse of the boy may merely mistake his form for a shadow. The fleeting figure that vanished in the corner of your eye.

He walked boldly down the next passage, following a ramp that led to a side entrance on the morgue. The smell of cigarettes and old trash permeated the air here. Looking down to his right, Jaune found the door closed to him. He leapt over the railing, landing silently before it.

The hatch could only be opened from the inside without a key. There were no windows nearby that could be used to slip inside conveniently either. Jaune dared not to attempt the front door, risking being caught by any remaining officers. All he did, however, was cock back his right arm.

Slamming that fist into the steel plate sundered the door immediately. The entire thing bent backwards around his hand and was thrown off its hinges. Flying for almost five feet, the door crashed into a wall behind it, cracking the drywall with ease.

Jaune glanced down at his hand to find there was not a mark on it. His body's durability having increased a thousandfold despite the lack of blood in his system. Even yesterday, he was wounded by a punch from Cardin. During the fight with the killer, Jaune could not be touched by her own attacks, which only pushed him away.

That is when Jaune realised it. His body, mind, and soul had become hardened by the battles he had fought. Those poor souls he consumed were only a fuel used to summon his weapons.

When Jaune feared Pasty, he was still weak and able to be wounded by the much more powerful vampire. He had given up just when he was about to be killed. As Jaune was holding himself back, Cardin was capable of hurting him. Tonight, when he had fought the girl, Jaune was letting loose. He allowed himself to feel everything at that moment. He was not trying to run away out of fear, but instead gladly charged into battle. His will had become so powerful and his desire so ravenous that he could not falter in the face of his opponent. Her own will was not capable of matching Jaune's own.

After bringing himself to last night's apex, he was able to shift the forces of this world and bend them into those two attacks— _Ich liebe alles_, and _Das Ewig-Weibliche zieht uns heinen_. His will finally capable of altering Crocea Mors by force, without the need to speak an incantation.

Jaune continued, pressing onwards into the morgue. Passing through a winding hallway with adjacent rooms, he ignored them in search of the chamber where the bodies were held. The air smelled of chemicals, yet the faintest hint of blood remained. Such a stench could never be cleaned off the walls in this place, where the gore was spilt every day.

The smell became stronger as he followed the halls. Soon the aroma of bleach became more than a minor annoyance. It poisoned the air, making it difficult to breathe easily for Jaune. He shrugged it off, sniffing the air once more as he reached another hallway running perpendicular to the one he came from.

Looking left, Jaune noticed a pair of doors. There, the smell of blood was the strongest. He was sure that was the room where the autopsies were both held and the bodies stored.

He grasped the door handle and pulled on the metallic bar. The door snapped halfway across its width, opening up a hole for him to slide through. Jaune hadn't even meant to apply that much pressure. He tugged on the door handle lightly, hoping to open it just thinking it would be unlocked.

Inside the morgue, Jaune immediately made his way to the freezers. There were three rows of them along the wall. In the middle of the room were three tables where the bodies would have been placed for the coroners to examine. The clean steel slabs becoming the most ominous feature to behold.

Yet, Jaune passed right by them, heading to the first door in the middle row. He opened it to find the corpse of a woman resting within. Her pale skin was marred by cuts and swollen bruises all over her face. Clearly, she was the victim of a beating that ended up killing her.

He turned her head to the side, exposing her jugular and bit down onto her flesh. Jaune's fangs pierced the skin and began extracting the blood from within. As it graced his tongue, Jaune was nearly forced to reel back in disgust.

The boy expected to be delighted by the decadent ambrosia this woman would have given up. Instead, it was bitter. A foul flavour that mimicked the taste of rotting meat. Its age and decay obvious to the vampire's palate. Jaune continued despite this, extracting the last of the remaining blood in the woman's body.

He was not satisfied with the blood he had taken from her. The age of the liquid had probably destroyed whatever his body required. Even preserved, the age of the body still mattered.

Jaune wiped his face and moved onto the next locker. When he opened it, the smell of blood spilt out and into the air. The scent was unusually strong. So much, that he had to shield himself in fear of it. This odour reminding Jaune of the aura Pasty gave off.

The strength of this blood and the aura the German vampire produced were the same thing. Yet, they were so different, one could mistake the former for something else entirely. It didn't have that vile miasma floating about it. Only, it was the scent another vampire had given off. Not of hostility either.

Pulling the rest of the drawer out, Jaune took a look at the person inside. He was an older middle-eastern man in his thirties. The man had a cleanly cut beard done into a line-up with a buzzcut for a hairstyle. Those paired with the cheekbones and general structure of his face made him out to be quite handsome. Someone that would be able to take the centre of the room and attract all of the attention onto himself. Or someone that you wouldn't feel any sense of danger around, given a false sense of security by the unassuming man.

**Methuselah... **

His ancient bones had long stood against the test of time. Whether it be for hundreds or thousands of years, he remained. Countless nations had arisen and fallen within the span of his life. He was another wanderer, destined to walk the Earth for millennia. Only now, had he finally fallen.

The errant thought appeared in Jaune's mind. He realised that was the name of the man lying before him. His vampiric name. Akin to what was bestowed upon Jaune.

Yet, Jaune felt that the power the man radiated was but a shadow of what he formerly possessed. Alive, he would have been such a danger that no mortal man could have hunted him. Jaune suspected he may have been even more powerful than Pasty.

The boy looked over the body lying before him for what lead to his death. There was not a single mark on his tanned torso, however, as Jaune examined the rest of his frame, he found it. A single bullet wound exiting the other side of his skull. Methuselah killed by a projectile fired from an unknown firearm.

_Who killed you? _

Jaune didn't even attempt to answer the question as he had no clue. There was not a weapon he knew of that could render a vampire so powerful dead. Only, if that were a typical rifle. If the hunter used something with the same magic Jaune possessed, then it would be possible.

He had wounded Pasty with Crocea Mors, after all.

Without hesitation, Jaune turned the man's head to the side, exposing his jugular vein. He clamped his teeth down around his throat and began draining the blood from his body.

_*Ta-thump* _

Jaune felt his heartbeat within his ears once more. The surge of power that came through him was unimaginable, dwarfing the twenty people he drank from earlier. His own body felt like it would shatter into a million pieces, the vessel too small to contain all of the power.

_*Ta-thump*_

His heart beat heavily as the pressure mounted. Pain coursed through Jaune's entire body. The borders of his vision grew a red hue that slowly encompassed his field of view. Despite the pain, however, Jaune forced himself to bear it, taking every ounce of power Methuselah contained within himself.

_*Ta-thump*_

The corpse disintegrated into ash—a blue flame taking over the entire body in mere seconds. The particles falling through Jaune's hands as the last drop of blood left Methuselah's body.

Jaune's vision darkened suddenly. He could not see anything. The rest of his body was disconnected from his mind.

_[Unknown Location] _

_Jaune opened his eyes to find himself sitting inside a massive room. His head was propped up on his right fist, held up by the armrest of the chair in which he resided. The boy's right leg crossed over the left as he leaned back. A set of long blackened robes hanging from Jaune's limbs draped over the edge of the seat. _

_Jaune looked around to inspect the room where he ended up. This place reminded him of the ballroom he dreamt of the previous night. Only now, Jaune was in a long rectangular room instead of the dome from the ball. _

_The walls were decorated with hundreds of skeletal figures—each of them a relief created as an amalgamation of thousands of beasts or men. Accompanying those skeletons were the statues of heroes wearing their battle armour. They all stood proudly in various poses with other soldiers or beasts they had slain. Every single carving was golden, constructed out of the same metal as the colossus. _

_As Jaune turned his gaze to the centre of the room, he caught the attention of its inhabitants. All were garbed in the same black outfit he wore, yet, their faces were obscured by a dark miasma—this same fog which covered the killer. By the hundreds, each turning to face the boy while staring at him with maddened expressions. _

_The vampire sat on a throne resting atop a massive staircase, only seven steps high. On each of the lower platforms rested two additional thrones arranged in an arc. Those twelve were all occupied except for one. Jaune's throne, the thirteenth, was the only seat to remain alone. _

_Jaune's throne was constructed from solid gold, same as the rest of the building. It was carved with the figures of both the lion and the eagle—the two beasts creating the armrests where his limbs rested. On the backrest, above Jaune's head, was a massive statue in the same style as the throne. In the centre, was a nimbus with two crescents carved into it. _

_The two thrones on the descending step were just as glamorous. The one to Jaune's right was a mixture of gold and white. Gold used to accent the white. All over this statue were carvings of snowflakes. These elaborate runes far exceeding the ordinary beauty of any earthly snow, however. This same symbol carved into the chair above her head. The entire throne was also coated in a thin layer of frost, seemingly frozen to the touch. _

_The occupant of the throne was so much more beautiful in comparison. Her small figure was overshadowed by the chair, making it seem as though it was built for a large man instead of a woman. However, her figure was not the centre of attention. The pair of angelic wings on her back made her appear to be an angel. Their feather glowing with radiant white light. _

_If only her face was not concealed by the miasma. _

_In contrast to the gentle aura of the right throne, the left was much more chaotic. Whatever designs had once been carved into the chair were long since melted. There was no emblem to speak of either. No twin crescents or snowflake. Only a deluge of the red metal her throne was constructed from. _

_Looking at it from a distance, the throne could have been boiling. No person aside from the current occupant would have been able to withstand the heat. Even the woman sitting in the seat had this same air about her. She was the killer who Jaune had fought last night. _

_On every other throne, each had their own designs and emblems attached to them. All of their occupants were either men or woman, ranging from a large sturdily-built man to a petite young woman. The individuals were powerful in their own right. Yet, none could compare to the Red, White, and Gold. _

_However, this last throne sat empty. Its place on the bottom right step. The design was plain and almost dull compared to the others. It was still constructed from gold, yet bore black highlights crisscrossing the metal. There was an emblem on this throne, though. An elaborate white and black cross. It was the only thing which spoke about the occupant in any way. _

_The sound of the doors leading into the chamber opening drew Jaune's gaze towards the centre of the room. The blackened masses standing there parted, leaving a place for the newest actor's entrance. It was the Ghost. Her body's aura flared, creating a glow that lit up the area around her. _

_She walked gracefully towards the throne with confidence unmatched. It seemed as though the shades standing around her did not phase her in any way. Her sole focus was on the occupant resting in the highest throne. The feeling of her eyes on him made Jaune feel a sense of unease. _

_Yet, as she made her way towards him, Jaune's mind began to fill with hundreds of questions. _

_Who was she? _

_Why did she save his life? _

_What does she want from him? _

_However, none of those questions compared to what flew from his mouth. _

_"What is the path I am meant to tread upon," he asked. Jaune's voice echoed throughout the entire hall, drawing the full attention of the girl. His speech dripped with that same unearthly charisma he beheld during the fight with Red. _

_Jaune did not know what to do. He was lost in this sea of confusion and dread. By luck, or perhaps chance, he was able to be sent to this place. The only location in this entire world or beyond that made any real sense. Even if the madness of this castle was enough to drive the normal man insane, Jaune would bear with it. _

_The Ghost's only response was to wave her hand gently as if sending away a servant. With that gesture, Jaune's vision darkened once more, and he was whisked away from the castle. _

**_[Forest] _**

_"Come on, Pyr," a young boy shouted to the person below him. His scraggly blonde locks whipping with the movement of his head. As the girl got the message, the boy turned back to the wall he was grasping onto, continuing to scale it. _

_Underneath Jaune, was Pyrrha. Her brilliant red hair was let loose and flowing in the wind. She wore a cream coloured blouse and pair of blue jeans with sneakers. The girl's clothes covered in dirt-same as her companion. _

_The two were climbing up a small ledge where a creak had carved one out. Next to them was the flowing tide of water, spilling out over the edge. The few trees growing above them gave a series of roots for the children to grasp onto. Even with the handholds, the entire surface was coated in a thick layer of both clay and mud. _

_With how slick the surface was, Pyrrha had a harder time scaling the face than Jaune did. The boy's strength factored into it much more; however, the redhead was determined. She grasped onto the thickest roots she could wrap her hands around and pulled herself up. Once off the ground, she reached up again to try lifting herself even farther. _

_However, the root had other ideas. Pyrrha grabbed the weakest one she could by accident. The sound of the wood cracking under her weight brought a terrified yelp from within her. She tried to grab onto another root, but could not get a grip. Her hand slipping on the one she went for, causing her to begin falling backwards. _

_Pyrrha let out another yell, but a hand reached down and grabbed onto her's. She looked up to see Jaune staring back down at her with a confident grin. His piercing cobalt eyes squinting along with his smile. _

_"You need a hand," Jaune asked in a way that couldn't sound cheesy. The line brought out a blush from the girl, which forced her to hide her reaction. Jaune took the change in expression as embarrassment, pulling Pyrrha up to his level. _

_The force behind the tug ended up causing Pyrrha and Jaune to tumble onto the ground. Jaune fell onto his back and Pyrrha falling onto her stomach right next to him. The two kids letting out a giggle at their fumble. _

_Pyrrha pushed herself off the ground, dusting off her clothes. She looked over to Jaune, flashing him a smile and he did the same in return. Jaune immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her to his intended destination. _

_"Where are we going," Pyrrha asked in a curious tone. _

_By now, Jaune's pace had turned into a jog which Pyrrha had to match to keep up. The boy's slightly taller stature made for a more challenging pursuit. For every step Jaune made, Pyrrha had to make two or three more to match the distance he covered. _

_"You'll see, it's a surprise," Jaune answered excitedly. _

_Coming around a bend in the creek, the two arrived at their destination. It was a flat clearing next to the water. Despite the proximity, the ground was grassy and dry. A few trees bordered this area but refused to grow within it. _

_Near the edge of the clearing sat a throne. The chair was elevated by several flat stones stacked upon one another. The seat itself was made from sticks and logs lashed together. A primitive design, but one of sound construction. _

_Just opposite of the throne were several logs moved into rows. On each of them were toys. They were stuffed animals, action figures, dolls, or any other random figurine Jaune could collect. Their presence creating a royal court of sorts or an audience at a theatre. _

_"Here, sit down," Jaune beckoned, pulling Pyrrha over to the throne. _

_She complied, hesitantly sitting down on the wooden chair. It creaked and settled with the added weight, but did not falter. Pyrrha leaned back into the chair, feeling comfortable that it would not collapse under her. A smile stretching across her lips with her new position. _

_As Jaune was sure Pyrrha's throne would fall apart, he turned to face a group of invisible figures. They were standing away from the stuffed animals, but Jaune switched his attention between the two. _

_"Listen," Jaune spoke up with confidence. "You and I are in the centre stage! Let us perform the finale of this first act! We cannot leave them waiting!" _

_Pyrrha smiled at the over the top way Jaune was speaking. She would have laughed, but it would throw off his concentration. _

_"Empress Pyrrha," Jaune continued, turning to the girl to address her directly. "I, Jaune Arc, your emperor, have received news of bandits approaching the kingdom! What is your command?! My knights and I are at the ready!_"

**[Jaune: The Morgue]**

That memory was from a few weeks before Jaune left Vale six years ago. He and Pyrrha were not able to continue that adventure beyond those final lines. The entire world they created became trapped in a state of limbo, unable to move forth. Their entire audience refused a finale they deserved.

Upon seeing that vision, Jaune understood everything that led him up to this moment. Everything that transpired between the Ghost's appearance in the ballroom and now was clear. No longer was it some fever dream, but a true realisation.

Leaving Vale and being unable to continue the adventure was the first moment Jaune became dissatisfied. The first appearance of this hollowness he was stricken with. Such a feeling would never change. Not in six years had he been satisfied with his life.

Everything Jaune attempted to do ended in failure. The boy was dissatisfied with all of his efforts no matter their outcome.

For a reason the Jaune of old could not understand, he was dissatisfied with every facet of his life.

He could not find joy in creating things and showing them off to his family.

He could not be proud of acing a test and being congratulated by his parents.

He was unhappy about the man he was becoming. Dissatisfied that he could not compare to the idea he idolised. Hating the self-conscious young man who tried his damndest to mimic the others around him because he could not fit in.

Jaune had been lying to himself every day of those six years. He thought he was genuinely happy. He closed his heart off to what he truly felt in an attempt to disguise the pain. In a way, that could be his only success. Yet, that still didn't mean he was happy with it.

Indeed, the Ghost had not stolen his emotions but removed the veil for something else to blossom within.

The sounds of footsteps coming from down the hall brought Jaune out of his thoughts. Two sets of boots clicked against the linoleum floors. They were not yet in sight of the broken doors leading directly into the morgue. By their movements, the two were casual about coming to this place.

"_Yeah, the damn alarm is going off again..._"

"_That thing is really a piece of shit... Somebody probably left a door open, and the wind caught it._"

"_Hey, if you want to complain about it, take it up with the lieutenant... With all those explosions going on, he'll probably get right on it just for you!_"

"_The fuck?! Somebody broke the door to the morgue!_"

The two officers quickly cleared the distance between themselves and the double doors. A swipe of a keycard and the right door opened to permit them entry. They swept the room before turning their attention towards the open drawers.

"Holy shit," the first officer cursed, raising his gun to the vampire.

The sight of the blood-soaked maw and obscured face made the man quake in terror. Jaune's mouth cracked open slightly, producing the sharpened fangs to the officer. He yelped in fear, taking a full step back along with his partner.

Without warning, he pulled the trigger to his handgun, firing off a single round in Jaune's direction. The vampire disappeared from his perspective, leaving behind only a motion blur as the bullet passed right through his position. As the boy vanished, the two officers began to spin about wildly, trying to get a bead on their opponent.

Jaune reappeared in front of the second officer, punching him directly in the chest. His bullet-proof vest absorbed most of the impact from the punch; however, the man still felt every ounce of the pressure behind it. He was lifted off the ground and thrown to the wall ten feet behind him.

The first officer turned his gun on Jaune, firing another two rounds at his upper body. Jaune sidestepped the bullets, allowing them to hit the wall before dashing towards the man. He then proceeded to deliver a solid jab to his stomach, launching him down the hallway from where he came. The officer tumbled the entire way before slamming into another wall and being knocked unconscious.

_I've always felt like this? _

Knowing the truth about his feelings was a hard thing to swallow. The lie he had been living in was so ingrained to the boy known as Jaune Arc, he could hardly see it the other way. Even if Jaune was unsatisfied with his life, he still loved every moment of it. This life was the only one he had been granted. Its value to him was beyond compare, which is why he wanted to make it one of worth.

Jaune turned and began walking down the hallway. He passed by the police officer slumped over onto his side. The boy ignored the man, continuing on through the corridors leading to the first floor of the police department. The halls abandoned and utterly devoid of life.

That reason was why he fought so hard to win it back. This life and everything in it was precious to Jaune. Despite the way he had been so unhappy with it, looking back on those memories brought the feeling of joy to his heart. They were the parts that made Jaune who he was right now.

Even if he was never able to become the right hand of the Empress, Pyrrha,

Even if he never fought an army with his knights at his side,

Even if he was never able to live within the fantasy world he so desired,

Jaune would have still loved his life with all his heart.

That was the only raison d'etre he needed. The world as it existed created that template. And thus, it was also his limitations.

_Because I love everything. _

**_Ich liebe alles - I love everything..._**

**_I love every man, woman, and child under the sun._**

**_Every blade of grass and every pebble scattered on the beach. _**

**_The mountains and the frozen forests adorning their peaks. _**

**_I love to love. _**

**_I love to hate. _**

**_I love feeling anguish. _**

**_I love to feel my triumph over those who stand to oppose me. _**

**_To create and to destroy. _**

**_I love it all... _**

Jaune passed through the front doors of the police station. As he left the building, a blinding light switched on, aimed directly at his face. Jaune did not attempt to shield himself from the glare, finding it to be a genuine surprise.

**_Was it always that same dream? _**

**_To be the hero from that fantasy? _**

**_I was playing out the battle I had foretold to Pyrrha. _**

**_Were my knights at my side? _**

**_No, they were not... _**

Even if Jaune could not change what was. It didn't mean he couldn't change what is, or what will be. That future was open to any manipulation he so desired.

"On your knees!"

A voice caught Jaune's attention.

He looked beyond the blinding light to find nearly thirty US soldiers standing behind armoured vehicles. Their firearms were all trained on the boy, including the fifty-calibre turrets on top of the trucks. Each soldier wearing the heaviest armour possible for an ordinary man to carry. In fact, the armour was nothing like Jaune had ever seen before. It was a metallic shell that appeared only in science fiction.

**_I've always wanted to be a hero. However, this world was not built for me. I do not belong in a place like this. _**

**_I need a place where I can create wonders. To play out this fantasy with nothing holding me back. _**

**_Even if I need to destroy what I love to create something new, I am okay with that. _**

"Get on the ground!"

The sounds of soldiers chambering their rifles echoed in Jaune's ears.

**_Crocea Mors. _**

The blade formed within his right hand. Its sudden appearance caused the soldiers to panic. They each shouted orders at the boy, dictating what he should do. They were all ignored.

I wasn't until one of them fired his rifle that the rest let loose at once. The turrets began to spit out fifty-calibre rounds which could tear a man to pieces in seconds. Hundreds of bullets sailing towards Jaune faster than the eye could see. The boy did nothing to step aside or to even flee this scenario.

However, the bullets all stopped at once, three feet in front of Jaune. They each impacted an invisible barrier that would not allow anything through. With every ricochet, a small ripple appeared in the field. It wasn't until Jaune looked closer what created it finally manifested.

A line of men carrying shields materialised in the path of the bullets.

Upon closer inspection, they were no ordinary men. These men were soldiers of the Roman Legions. They stood as one, defending the man behind them. Their wall of Legion steel could not falter.

They stared on at the soldiers with tempered hearts—their disciplined execution of the shield wall without equal. None could show fear as there was none to be had. These enemies were simply a nuisance that could not break their iron will.

Each of their eyes burned gold, glowing in the darkness.

**_Was the lion, King of the Jungle, given its claws and fangs to break an egg open? _**

**_Did the hawk use its mighty wings to raise an insect crawling underground?_**

**_No, for those creatures and myself were meant for greater things. _**

Jaune glanced down at his left hand, balling it into a fist. The sound of his skin rubbing against itself emanated from within.

**_The Emperor... _**

**_That is who I am meant to be, _**

**_The path I was meant to tread upon. _**

**_Then what does 'Das Ewig-Weibliche zeiht uns heinen' mean to me? _**

**_The Eternal Feminine shall lead us on high? _**

**_The Eternal Feminine shall lure us in? _**

**_The Eternal Feminine shall lead us to heaven? _**

**_The Eternal Feminine. _**

**_Love. _**

**_Love shall be my salvation... _**

Jaune approached the top of the staircase leading to where the soldiers were.

**_That surge of emotions I felt as a child—the ability to make an attack on the impossible head-on._**

**_That young boy still exists within me, and we both share the same dream. It has always been so. _**

**_If that is true, then I will create a world befitting this notion. I shall bring heaven to the Earth I love so dearly. _**

**_It will be a monument to all of man's talents—both creation and destruction. Where they can rise to their fullest potential and explore endless possibilities. A kingdom where they can achieve perfection, same as I. _**

**_This place shall be a world where you, my unearthly companion, can appear. This work of art shall reflect your own magnificence. _**

"**_The Pax Romana_**," Jaune muttered under his breath. "**_Upon that day, I shall have my satisfaction. Able to look back on everything that brought me here and then continue onto the next great work that calls to me._**"

**_Ich liebe alles! _**

Crocea Mors shifted into the white and gold lance. Golden light radiating from its blade, forcing the soldiers to shield their eyes from the glare. Some ducked beneath their vehicles and hid from the vampire out of genuine fear.

"**_If one-hundred battles yield no victory, then I shall fight a thousand_**," Jaune continued, stopping just halfway down the stairs. His expression was one of deep contemplation, ignoring the threat in front of him. "**_If not a thousand, then I will fight ten-thousand. I will continue to struggle for however long is needed until I am capable of bringing this world into our reality. To walk this road until its utmost conclusion and then compose an opera that belongs to only me at its end. For repeating this slander of the highest order is something I shall not allow._**"

Jaune cocked back his lance, forcing a golden light to coalesce at its tip.

"**_To those who seek to stand against me_**," Jaune addressed an unknown audience. "**_I offer you only this... Spare O God, in mercy spare him. Lord all-pitying, Jesus blest, grant them thine eternal rest. Amen..._**"

**_Das Ewig-Weibliche zeiht uns heinen!_**

Jaune swung his lance out in a wide arc. The legionaries standing before him were dispelled as the lance passed through them. Any energy amassed within the weapon was discharged into a wave. The attack was directed towards the street a few metres in front of the soldiers. As this wave of energy passed into the asphalt, an explosion from deep underground shook the entire block. The road suddenly jutted out from underneath the soldiers, throwing them all back at once and tipping over their vehicles.

As the soldiers were now disabled, Jaune turned in the direction of his house and bolted that way. The concrete under his feet was shattered by the force of his footsteps, as well as getting kicked up from behind him. His pace could not be discerned from an outside perspective, appearing as only a blur. The shockwave left in his wake shattered every window he passed by.

Suddenly, a man walked out from the darkness about two hundred feet in front of him. He was a dark-skinned faunus, bearing a dog's tail coming out from under his uniform. His behaviour appeared nonchalant about the vampire's approach. He only pointed towards Jaune with his index finger.

"_Stay_," he uttered.

With that command, Jaune froze solid. Not within ice, but as if time stopped relative to him. His body was a statue formed from flesh. It was every bit as life-like as the real thing.

Several more figures stepped out from the darkness. They each bore their own weapons, all trained on Jaune. Every one of them was clearly nervous about the creature they stood before. The one who froze Jaune in place did not reflect their attitude.

"_Marrow_," the shortest one exclaimed. "Be careful with this one! We don't know everything he's capable of!"

The faunus turned around and offered her a smile.

"Don't worry, I got this..."

He muttered something else under his breath, and a black substance took over his arm. The metal ate away at his uniform, causing it to disintegrate by the threads. Once his entire arm was encapsulated in the metal, a long, curved blade erupted from the top of his forearm—the design of this weapon similar to a reverse khopesh.

He cocked back his arm and launched it towards Jaune's neck. However, instead of slicing the neck in twain as a weapon should have, the blade stopped dead in its tracks. It was as if the sword hit a stone wall.

The soldier named, Marrow, looked on in shock. When Jaune's left hand rose from his side, gripping the blade, he was frozen. Jaune offered him an entertained grin, applying what seemed to be minimal pressure, and the weapon exploded into millions of pieces. The entire thing crumbling as though it were made from glass.

"Oh, shit..."

Marrow vaulted back, cocking his arm and balling his fist. Before Jaune could move, he leapt forward, aiming that attack directly at his centre mass. Just when he was about to reach the vampire, he disappeared only to reappear right next to him.

Jaune delivered a brutal uppercut to Marrow's stomach, causing him to vomit up blood. The force from this blow lifted Marrow a foot or two into the air. Jaune dashed to the side, cocking back his right arm to follow it up.

Marrow caught a glimpse of what was under that hood, seeing a golden flame burning above Jaune's eye. It flared in intensity once as the vampire propelled his fist back into Marrow's gut. The two connected, launching him nearly eighty feet away and into a nearby building.

"**_You bastard!_**"

The short one dove forward with her right fist balled up. The hand encapsulated in a similar black metal as Marrow's. She, however, seemingly radiated electricity. The sparks jumped from her skin, dancing about the area with little reason.

When she threw that fist, Jaune stepped to the side. She turned around and tried to throw another, but the vampire already made his move. With two fingers, he thrust them into her left eye, hooking them onto the eye socket to get a grip. Jaune picked her up from there and threw her into the ground, causing the asphalt to crack from the force.

The woman screamed from the pain she was in. Blood spilling out from her eye socket, she reached up to her face to apply pressure to the wound. Two of the other soldiers were already by her side, trying to attend to their fallen comrade.

Jaune turned in the direction he had initially been travelling in and began walking there. In his way, there was another soldier. She was a mountain of a woman, standing well over Jaune's height. The warhammer she wielded was an even more intimidating sight.

"**_Out of my way_**," Jaune scoffed as he delivered a backhand to her left cheek. The sheer force behind the blow threw her in the same direction as Marrow. The sound of glass breaking followed.

**[The next morning] **

Rising from his bed, Jaune stretched his limbs. The satisfying sound of the joints popping echoed throughout the small room. Already, he could hear the Arc household was abuzz with activity. It prompted him to grab his Scroll and head into the bathroom.

Flicking on the light, Jaune was met with his reflection in the mirror.

Where his eyes had once been a brilliant cobalt blue, they no longer remained such. His irises were not the dark orange gifted to him by the vampirism either. Jaune's eyes were bright gold.

* * *

**Jaune beat the shit out of ace-ops and fucked their chicken!**

**So, Jaune is going to really go back to his normal self after this (The Jaune from the previous chapters who's closer to his canon behaviour.) This realisation will only change a few things, but how he acts will not be touched too extensively. **

**Okay, there's a lot going on here, so I'm gonna break it down for you. I usually don't do this in depth, but I feel like it's necessary. **

**So, the idea of dissatisfaction and wanting to be a hero are central to Jaune. In the canon, Jaune loves his life (I suspect, although it isn't mentioned in Vol 1) however he is also dissatisfied with his circumstances and not being able to get the training needed to be a huntsman. His utmost desire is to become a hero as well like his father. Those two are intertwined due to the extremely high standards Jaune set for himself which gives him that disatisfaction with his life. **

**I turn that notion up to a twenty. **

**When Jaune wasn't able to enjoy the fantasy of being a hero in this world, he was very dissatisfied with how it turned out. The standard he held that adventure to made sure everything else could not bring him true joy. It eventually reached the point where he lied to himself without knowing about it to cover up the pain. The Ghost, when she came to Jaune in the ballroom removed that limitation, making him feel hollow and dissatisfied in ch 14. After that point, Jaune was now playing out a part of the fantasy without knowing it as well in the last chapter. (What kind of person speaks like Jaune does in chapter 15. A child would act in this over the top manner when playing.) **

**That brings us to his two attacks. Ich liebe alles in german means I love everything. Jaune loves his life so much despite how dissatisfied he is with it. That love extends to everything in his life. Why? Jaune has connected back to his childhood self. Children are so curious about the world that they are looking for every stimulus available to them. They live for the experience and love it. Jaune does as well. The battles he's been through have only tempered that even further making him understand how valuable his life is to him. **

**Now since the Ghost has shown Jaune he is meant to be the Emperor from his fantasy, Das Ewig-Weibliche zeiht uns hinan comes into play. As Jaune loves everything in this world, the qoute from faust can also mean that love/beauty/purity is man's salvation, so using those two, Jaune had deemed it necessary to bring heaven to earth in the form of his great work, The Pax Romana (he uses Caesar's weapon, so it has to be that). This idea is also of a fantasy world from the RWBY canon as well. (It was mentioned in the OST for the second season.) The Pax Romana is a place where people can achieve their absolute potential like any fairy tale world allow. **

**This idea is also reflective of the childhood propensity to create art, so that is why Jaune is going to create this world.**

**All in all, Jaune has connected back to his childhood self. Mix that with sucking off a frozen corpse of a four-thousand year old dead guy who's probably stronger than Pasty, and you get someone who's literally going to do Philosophy with a hammer. **

**It's a lot at once, but I really didn't feel like drawing this out over multiple chapters because it would not work out as well as I would like.**

* * *

**Encyclopedia of MAJMLYAI.**

**Vampires:**

**Jaune**

**Aliases: Leonhardt, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**Familiars: Crocea Mors, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**People Consumed: 30**

**Major Arcana: The Emperor.**

**Pasty**

**Aliases: Element Unknown**

**Methuselah**

**(He ded.)**

**Friends/Allies:**

**Ruby**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Yang**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Pyrrha**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Weiss**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown**

**Blake**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**


	16. The Golden Lord

**Work has been kicking my ass lately. I was too tired to work on this chapter all week and I wasn't in the mood to do any writing. **

**But I got it done, god dammit! It's a short chapter, but it's something. **

**There was one review from the last chapter that I wanted to respond to, however. Whenever I use another language, I always translate it in a previous chapter or do it right alongside whatever's being said. So, there should be no problems with foreign languages in my story unless you can't read English then I can't help you there. **

**Now before you start reading, Jaune will have a new look. All of you know his eyes are now a golden colour. But I have a change in hairstyle as well. Think of the fight between Genos and Saitama in OPM when Saitama throws his fist at Genos, blowing his hair back. Mix that with Archer/Emiya plus a hair length the same as Jaune's. **

**If you look at the story cover art, it will help you put the rest of Jaune's image together.**

**But Act 1: Der Vampir, has been completed. Now I give you Act 2: The Golden Lord. **

* * *

_"Hello," the girl spoke up. Her voice travelling into the darkened abyss standing before her. _

_She could not feel anything within this void. There was nothing here. No air to draw breath, no ground to stand upon, and no warmth to grace her skin. Around her was merely a bottomless pit. _

_'Where am I?!'_

_Her heart began beating out of her chest. She was quickly growing terrified of this place. The girl tried her best to claw at the space around her, finding no surface to gain leverage upon which to lift herself. No matter where she turned, there was nothing to see. Even if she tried to fall to the ground, her body remained upright. _

_A gust of wind blew through the void, chilling her to the bone. It was colder than anything her body could bear for more than a few seconds. Such an unimaginable cold rendered her completely unable to move. Even her tears froze as they travelled down her cheeks. _

_The sound of a shrill chime coming from behind her drew the girl's attention. She turned around to see what it was only to be blinded by the object. A bright golden glow with the intensity of the sun stood just before her. Its radiance died down after a few moments, revealing the figure of a man. _

_He was kneeling before her, placing his right hand upon his chest. The man's long golden locks dropped well past his shoulders and rested upon the ground. His body clad in a black trenchcoat, obscuring the rest of his figure. _

**_"I have fallen madly in love with you," he expressed—the man's voice dripping with a supernatural charisma. His tone showed nothing but reverence for the being standing in front of him. However, there was a hint of an almost childish excitement in the back of his throat. "I would desire nothing more than for you to shed your skin and ascend to your completion... To be reborn in the new world as a creature befitting your beauty." He paused, seemingly nervous about the words that were going to pass his lips. "Shall we take a step towards that end? Or would you prefer this opera to last for an eternity? Such a decision does not matter to me, for I am your slave. A tool to do with as you wish. I will find warmth within your embrace, no matter what lies ahead." _**

**[Weiss] **

Weiss snapped out of the slumber she had fallen into, finding herself sitting in the cafeteria. The sounds of the other students excitingly chatting with their friends filled the air. Their smiles were genuine, and their moods were matching their expression. All of it, from Weiss' perspective, made it feel as though nothing happened last night.

Like none of them had woken up to explosions rocking the earth.

Even her friends were watching a video about the battle that had gone down. Yang was holding her Scroll up for the other girls plus Ren to view the screen. Each bearing their own expression of amazement at the spectacle which took place. Had Weiss not known what it was they were watching, she could have mistaken it for funny video Yang found online.

They watched as a titan rose from within the bay to face a lone man on the bridge. The person filming it attempted to zoom in on his figure but could not possibly get a clear enough picture of him. Weiss only made out his lithe figure with some speculation on the colour of his hair. When the giant crushed the bridge, he completely disappeared into thin air.

That was when Weiss had woken up. She had a full view of the battle from her bedroom and watched everything else from there. It was a spectacular light show like the world had never seen. The conflict between the golden angel and the red demon was something that she could never forget. Especially due to the sheer terror that coursed through her veins as she looked on.

Weiss could hardly believe what she had seen. It felt like a dream.

Although, that notion was shattered upon seeing the news the next morning. During an interview with the mayor, Ghira Belladonna, he stated that only a few people died from the attack. A surprise that Weiss could hardly believe given the level of destruction Vale faced even as the police and other rescue workers cleared almost all of the rubble. Many citizens seemed to have all fled the dangerous areas simultaneously before the giant wrecked Vale. Even then, the damage was limited to the taller skyscrapers and a few buildings scattered throughout the city.

However, such a catastrophe brought the highest levels of government to Vale in an attempt to discern the nature behind this event. This was something Weiss could understand and expect.

Weiss wanted to say there was a clear and rational meaning behind all of this. But there was nothing she could think of. Not a single thing that would accurately describe the mechanisms which allowed for a giant to rise from the ocean and for another person to kill that creature in one blow. She didn't want to pass this off as magic either. As easy as that would be, Weiss had never seen anything aside from cheap magic tricks done by some charlatan. There was no evidence of real magic in this world.

_There's no point in trying..._

Weiss cast off that line of thought before it could blossom. She was already exhausted from a lack of sleep, so the Heiress was in no condition for contemplation. Any more of this and her head would start to hurt. Instead, she turned back to her friends and watched them.

Surprisingly, Beacon allowed its students to return to school despite the calamity. There were quite a few who took the opportunity to remain home, given an option to do so, but many showed up. Things felt tense during the morning; however, the mood shortly smoothed out and felt like it always had.

Weiss guessed that the limited damage to Vale wouldn't hamper the school's function. Not that any lectures or new homework were being given out. Today was more study time/catch-up than real learning. Most of the students that did show their faces were those who were serious about their grades or the many who lived in the student dorms.

Any who skipped school today couldn't go anywhere aside from their own homes. So, this was the only place where friends could congregate.

"That's when my family's apartment got hit," Blake said, pointing at a location on Yang's Scroll. Weiss could see the giant had fired its laser directly into the main body of Vale.

The amount of destruction in the city easily totalled more than a few billion dollars. From what Weiss had heard, none of the Beacon students or staff was caught up in it. Only her own family's corporate building was heavily damaged as the other notable object.

"Anybody get hurt," Yang asked, turning to the ravenette. Her question lacking emotion, giving the impression that she wasn't too afraid. Blake would have said something before otherwise.

"No, just that floor," she explained, sitting back down in her seat. "My parents and I were at our house when it happened..."

"Renny and I saw the entire thing from the dorms," Nora chimed in, bringing the conversation elsewhere. Her bubbly tone was stifled but remained true. Clearly, she wasn't excited about the whole thing. "It was like a superhero fight."

Weiss could agree with her synopsis of the battle. Ruby having shown the Heiress a few of those animated movies where two superhumans duked it out inside a major city. Although, this was real life and now supposed to be the confirmation of a 'superman' or some sort. This person didn't have a cape, but, instead, wore regular street clothes like anybody else.

There was no way to be sure who that man was. However, if he had killed the giant all on his own, then Weiss wondered how could someone have so much power. It was clearly out of the bounds of human's or faunus' natural capabilities. Yet, she still refused to delve into the question of the supernatural in this case.

"You guys watching the fight on the bridge," a woman asked from the side. Her voice oozed confidence much like Yang's own, but with a sharper tongue.

Weiss glanced over to find Coco and Velvet standing a few feet away. The two were in good spirits like the rest. Velvet seemed a little nervous for some reason, but that's how she usually was.

"Yeah, giant skeleton versus random dude is all anybody's talking about," Yang stated with a shrug. She and the rest of the group all turned their heads to the newest pair that joined them. "It's fucking terrifying..."

_Quite the understatement, Xiao Long..._

"You're telling me," Coco replied with a smile. She and Velvet took their place on the bench opposite to everyone else. "Kinda feel bad for the new guy... Dude just showed up, and a scene from a Japanese monster movie takes out half of Vale. You know, the 'usual.' Not cool for someone's intro to Beacon, though."

"New guy," Ruby asked, cocking her head to the side. Her face scrunched up in a curious expression. From her tone, the confusion was more apparent.

The question attracted the attention of all of the table's members. They each looked at Ruby like she was some sort of alien. Everyone knew who Coco was talking about, including Weiss, even if she didn't heavily involve herself in such talk. However, the youngest, and admittedly the most innocent, wasn't sure of the subject.

"Yeah, haven't seen him before, and nobody else has apparently," Coco explained, looking around to see if the mystery man was in the crowd somewhere. "With all the shit that's been going down, it hasn't really been a huge deal... But, he's pretty quiet, keeps to himself really, and looks absolutely _delicious_-"

An elbow to the ribs shut Coco up. Weiss turned her gaze to Velvet, finding the faunus to be wearing a pout on her lips. Both of her ears bent forth and twitched slightly, indicating the feeling of anger or jealousy. The death stare she was giving her girlfriend was more than enough to send chills up any grown man's spine let alone the teenage girl.

"Hey, Vel," Coco said through the pain. "Just trying to hype him up for the ladies. Don't worry..." She grabbed ahold of Velvet's hand and intertwined her fingers with her own. "But like I was saying, you guys might want to bring this guy into the fold. Seems pretty cool to-"

"Oh, there he is," Yang interrupted. She gestured over to the centre of the cafeteria where the person in question was.

Everyone else followed the blonde's lead, glancing over in a way that didn't give the impression they were staring. One had to search through the crowd for a few moments before they were able to find him. Although, when you did, it was quite obvious who they were talking about.

Currently, the student in question was talking to some other classmates. Sun was telling a joke to the group and Sage, Dew, plus Octavia all laughed out loud when he reached the punchline. The fifth member had a milder reaction, smiling and allowing a mixture between a nervous and entertained laugh escape his lips.

And this student was possibly the most beautiful man in the entire world. There was not a visible flaw marring his pale skin. Beauty so inconceivable that it made the mind hazy with just a look. His mannerisms were that of a noble, practised to perfection yet remaining a natural action. The gentle pass of his gaze impressed a commanding stature onto all.

His blonde hair had been combed back, yet was styled messily. The golden locks neatly tucked behind his ears where they were not held up. His expression still carrying that gentle smile though one could see the beastly visage behind it. He grinned confidently as a predator would without giving up the act to those around him.

Most striking were his eyes.

They were each a bright gold. The man's eyes squinting slightly with his constant smile. One could easily find themselves lost as they stared back into them. That piercing gaze giving anyone a chill to run up their spine. They even appeared to have a slight glow to the iris. A trick of the eye surely.

Weiss hardly resisted gawking like an immature girl when she first laid eyes on him. In fact, none of her friends was incapable of doing so either. They all stared at him as though he were some work of art to admire. Their thoughts about the Battle of King's Bridge became an afterthought.

He was perfect in every sense of the word. It was impossible, really; how perfect this man was. No person on this planet should match such excellence. Yet, there he was, standing only forty feet away.

It made Weiss nervous just taking a peak. Undoubtedly, other girls became weak in the knees, falling into a fit of anxiety as they looked on. The Heiress, however, was made of sturdier stuff and would not act so. She had the tempered will to stifle those emotions, reducing them from a red-hot glow to nothing.

Weiss could not help but feel intimidated within his presence, however. His aura was of such magnitude that all were immediately put on edge. Even if he was doing nothing, his commanding demeanour still hung about.

As the group watched the boy, Weiss took a quick look at her friends. Blake and Pyrrha were entirely enthralled with the man, each holding a slight blush on their cheeks. Yang was grinning foxily, more than likely coming up with some cheap line to throw her quarry off guard. Ren and Nora were both inspecting him, discerning his nature. Ruby, however, didn't seem as impressed as everyone else was.

"That's Jaune, guys," Ruby stated plainly.

"_WHAT?!_"

Blake began choking on the sip of tea passing through her lips. Pyrrha and Yang's jaws dropped. Nora burst out laughing as Ren questioned the bomb that had just been dropped on them.

Weiss...

Weiss' mouth flung open spitting out the first thing that came to mind.

"_That can't be him_," she exclaimed, slamming both of her hands into the table. The force from her outburst shook every plate and silverware on the table. However, the vigour in which she applied the volume of her shout attracted the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. It created a momentary silence where they all stared at her before returning to their meals.

"I don't believe it," Weiss continued at a much quieter volume.

Weiss' body grew hot with anger. Her teeth clenched down tightly, trying to contain whatever words would fly from her mouth. Every fibre of her body held onto the surge of emotions that coursed within. It made her heart hurt so much just thinking about the possibility.

"I'm with Weiss-cream on this one," Yang declared, gesturing to the Heiress. "He looks nothing like Jaune."

"I will admit I'm finding this difficult to believe as well," Velvet agreed.

_Exactly! _

Weiss couldn't believe that man was Jaune. Because Jaune Arc had been depressed these past few weeks from having his heart broken. His expression had remained in this downcast contortion. The pain was visible behind his eyes whenever they locked with another's. Everything about this person was the opposite of the Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee had known.

"_He is Jaune_," Ruby barked, throwing up her hands in annoyance. "I saw him this morning! We walked to school together, and I sat in class with him!"

"Okay-okay," Coco cut in, holding her hands up to calm everyone down. "I guess we can't really agree on this." She turned to Ruby. "You have a picture or anything we can compare him to?"

_I doubt that will prove anything..._

Weiss was sure of her belief on the matter. The group's 'blonde noodle' might have been a handsome specimen if you looked at him hard enough. However, Weiss couldn't give him that much confidence to change his look so drastically. Not to mention, with how he'd been acting lately, Jaune had other things on his mind. He wouldn't have the energy to focus on something like that.

"I'm looking for it..." Ruby mumbled as she scrolled through her pictures. Once she found the photo she'd been searching for, Ruby held up her Scroll for the others to look at. "Here! I told you guys, that's Jaune!"

The picture in question was of the entire group. Yang was holding the Scroll up for a group selfie which positioned her directly in front of the crowd. Next to her was Blake and Pyrrha, both smiling towards the camera. Behind the trio were Ruby and Weiss with the former more excited about the photo than the other. In the back was Jaune and Ren with Nora fiercely grinning as she wrapped her arms around both the boy's necks.

Everyone came to the side of the table where Ruby sat to get a glimpse of the photo. They looked down at it for a couple moments before glancing back up to the student to compare the two. The group continued to look back and forth before Yang spoke up.

"Oh my god, that is him," she exclaimed with disbelief.

Weiss was speechless with the discovery placed within her lap. Looking at the Jaune in the picture, you would have a hard time trying to put that face into the newer Jaune without close inspection. His facial structure and general appearance were the same as they always had been, but everything else was polished to the nth degree.

_Why? _

Her chest began to hurt as she continued looking at him. The boy whose heart she had broken was now another person entirely. Did he have a psychotic break? Were Weiss' words the final reason he needed to undergo this change? Everything that happened in the last few weeks made Jaune hate himself enough? All of these questions flew through her head in milliseconds.

Weiss' body grew hotter as her malicious words repeated in her head. The girl had been ogling him like a piece of meat when she had no right to. She didn't deserve to be around him when he looked so genuinely happy right now. It all made Weiss want to run away and find somewhere else to breakdown completely.

"I call dibs," Yang declared smugly.

"_Yang, you can't call dibs on Jaune_," Ruby barked at her older sister. A fierce blush began to take hold on her cheeks. "_He's my friend!_"

Yang's lips contorted into the Chesire grin so many feared. The air in the room felt as though it grew a few degrees colder at the same time.

"Oh~, so why can't I, Rubes," Yang replied, turning directly towards her sister. "Do you have something to admit because I don't see your name written on him?"

"_I-I_," Ruby stuttered as her blush burned even brighter. "_Huuggghhh!_" She turned away, hiding her face from the rest of the group.

With Ruby swiftly defeated, Yang turned back to Jaune and waved at him. He looked in their direction, replying with a gesture of his own. The boy then said something to the other students he was with and began walking over to the table.

As his eyes held their gaze upon the group, Weiss could feel the weight of the world resting on her shoulders. His aura bore down on her without mercy—those golden eyes piercing through Weiss' very soul. Every step he took echoed over everything in the cafeteria.

_*Ta-thump*_

When he took the second step towards the table, Weiss felt her heart beat within her ears. Another surge of pain shot through her entire body, causing Weiss to grab at her chest instinctively. The muscles in her legs shut down and refused to move on command. Managing to lift her arm was a herculean feat in of itself.

Upon the third step, that's when Weiss saw it.

As his foot touched the ground, a golden glow emanated from under his shoe. It rippled outwards like a drop landing in a pool of water. This wave running through the entire room before dispersing at the walls. Only Weiss noticing this phenomenon taking place before her.

_What is that?_

With his fourth step, a golden miasma took over Jaune's entire form. Weiss' blood ran cold as it appeared, but couldn't force herself to tear her eyes away. She only stared onward, directly into the fog encapsulating the boy.

For a fraction of a second, she could see what lie within.

Composing the miasma were millions upon millions of skulls. They were amassed together within a finite space, all of them layering over one another. Some would spasm momentarily before returning to their rest state. As soon as they materialised, every one of them faded instantly, revealing Jaune's eyes peering directly at her.

**[Ruby]**

She'd just seen Weiss turn white as a ghost before getting up and walking away from the table. Nobody else had noticed her disappearance aside from Ruby. She quickly got up and followed the Heiress as she fled from the cafeteria at a brisk pace. The ravenette matching the speed of her friend, but had to make her departure discrete.

Outside the cafeteria, Ruby found Weiss weakly holding herself up against the wall with her hand. Her other hand was resting on her stomach, rubbing it gently to ease whatever pain she was feeling. From Ruby's perspective, it looked as though Weiss was about to pass out or toss her cookies. So, she quickly made her way over Weiss to assist however she could.

"Weiss," Ruby called out.

Hearing Ruby's voice, Weiss turned around slowly to face her. As her eyes locked with the ravenette's, Ruby noticed how fearful her expression was. Weiss' eyes were wide open, and her teeth were clenched tightly. She was even shaking so much that it appeared as though she were comically shivering.

"Are you okay?"

Weiss shook her head lightly, giving Ruby the obvious answer.

"I-I need to go to the nurse's office," Weiss said emotionally. Ruby thought she was about to start crying. "Can you take care of my tray please?"

"Yeah, sure, but what's going on," Ruby asked frantically. "Come on, Weiss..."

"I-I don't know," she explained, turning her back towards Ruby. "I just need to lay down."

Before Ruby could squeeze her for more information, Weiss began walking away from her. Ruby didn't pursue given her understanding of the white-haired girl's temper. If something was going on, she could trust Weiss to take care of her needs, then come talk to her later. Especially since this was related to Jaune.

...

Coming back inside the cafeteria, Ruby snuck back to her seat at the table. Nobody seemed to have noticed her absence immediately or chose to speak about it. Right now, Jaune finally reached the table, being greeted by his friends with a barrage of questions.

"Okay, where's Jaune and what did you do with him," Yang began her inquisition.

Jaune laughed lightly, bringing his hand up to his neck. Clearly, he was nervous about the attention. The boy was also blushing kind of hard with all the eyes on him. Half the girls and some of the guys in the cafeteria were all staring at him.

"Ah, you caught me," Jaune confessed in jest. "How did you know?"

A few glances were exchanged among the group members.

"Well..." Pyrrha replied, pausing to come up with the right words. "...you look very _different_. We couldn't recognise you. Ruby had to show us a picture."

Ruby had a hard time recognising Jaune was Jaune too. She was just as surprised as the rest of her friends when she first saw him this morning. When Ruby heard his voice, that's how she figured it out. However, with the change in eye colour and hairstyle plus his looks, Ruby couldn't have ever realised Jaune was the same person.

It was unnerving when the two met. She had been expecting tall, blonde, and scraggly, but got this instead. Sitting next to Jaune in class had been awkward as well since Ruby felt really nervous just being around him. They were friends and all, but with how 'hot' Jaune was, Ruby needed a day or two to get used to it.

"Trying out a new look," Blake asked, looking up at him. She was clearly still in shock from the revelation as well.

"Yeah," Jaune answered nervously, running a hand through his hair. "Is it too much? I was just trying out something different..."

"No-_no_," Pyrrha chirped up loudly. "It suits you very well! It's ju-"

"_YOU JAUNEY, HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO_," Nora interrupted once again, unable to contain herself anymore. She got up and started shaking Jaune back and forth to wring the information she wanted out of him. "You've been avoiding us, haven't you?! I thought you skipped school again!"

Ren got up and dragged Nora off Jaune. The blonde had to take a few seconds to regain any sense of equilibrium that he once had. Being shaken by Nora was akin to being hit by a truck.

"Sorry guys," Jaune expressed, rubbing the back his neck nervously. "Kind of trying to lay low today... Things got pretty crazy last night!"

"You mean with what happened in the city," Blake asked for clarification, raising an eyebrow.

Jaune nodded, hanging his head down low for a half-second. When he glanced back up at the crowd, he smiled nervously once more.

"I snuck out last night and went into Vale," he quickly explained, looking around in manner indicating he was trying to keep this quiet. "So, when that huge fight went down, I had front row seats to the whole thing..."

Whatever good mood the entire group had just vanished in an instant. Ruby even felt a surge of anger building up since Jaune hadn't told her about it either. The only reason why she didn't rip into him was that getting stuck there was not his fault. He couldn't have predicted what happened last night.

The silence among the group was cut with the chime of the hour bell. Hundreds of other students began rising from their seats all at once so they could continue onto their next class.

"I'll tell you guys about the rest of it later," Jaune continued, ending his story. "I didn't get back to my house until five, so I didn't get any sleep..." He turned around and waved lightly to the group. "I'll see you guys in class."

The group watched Jaune mould into the crowd and disappear from view. Once everyone was sure he was out of hearing range, they all looked at each other in disbelief or confusion. The awkwardness had also vanished in Jaune's wake, so nobody had to keep the act up.

"Okay," Yang began, clapping her hands together. "I'm completely lost now!"

* * *

**Before anybody says anything, I know a school like Beacon would probably close given what just happened to Vale. However, with Weiss' explanation and the low death rate from Jaune's fight, I could imagine that Beacon could still function. Only a few dozen buildings plus the bridge were actually destroyed. **

**So, this chapter is not supposed to be huge in anyway. I just wanted to get us Jaune's new looks and some initial character reactions to them. This was supposed to be longer, but I had to cut a lot off the end of this chapter so it will be in the next one. I didn't think it would fit in this chapter. **

**I'll specify the other character's thoughts more in the next scene. They were still reeling from the shock of having seen Jaune-Alter (he's not actually an Alter version like Saber or Jeanne, but with the golden eyes, it kind of fits).**

**Jaune's looks haven't really changed too much. He still looks like Jaune, but is a very polished version of him. The blonde noodle wasn't too bad looking beforehand, but I thought vampirism in this world would alter how you appear. **

**Going ahead, the story is going to start becoming more slice of life and we'll get the romantic stuff going as well here too. I'll still have a focus on Jaune's adventures, but I'm going to begin bringing in more genres.**

* * *

**Encyclopedia of MAJMLYAI.**

**Vampires:**

**Jaune**

**Aliases: Leonhardt, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**Familiars: Crocea Mors, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**People Consumed: 31**

**Major Arcana: The Emperor**

**Pasty**

**Aliases: Element Unknown**

**Methuselah**

**(He ded.)**

**Friends/Allies:**

**Ruby**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Yang**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Pyrrha**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Weiss**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown**

**Blake**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**


	17. Distant Memories

**What's up, everybody?! **

**So new chapter today! I didn't have any issues writing this one. Just some research I had to do to make sure a part of this was accurate. **

**Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

**[Yang]**

The girls plus Ren were gathered together on the far right side of the lecture hall. Ms Peach's class devoid of the instructor, leaving the students to do as they wished with their free time. The group was currently observing the young man they had once known very well—the blonde noodle which had gotten more than an upgrade to his looks and was now drop-dead gorgeous.

Yang would even say he was sexy. A sentiment shared by probably half of the student body now. The news having spread all throughout the school in a matter of moments. Quite a few of the students in here had abandoned their work in favour of gossiping over the newest changes to Jaune's appearance.

For Yang, she really wanted to say this change was a good thing for Jaune. She'd seen his decline over the past few weeks and felt terrible for him. It was too bad because he was just a good guy who didn't deserve any of the shit he'd been put through. Something that Yang did regret was allowing it to reach this point in the first place.

_Can't take it back, so I have to figure out how to fix it... But what's broken now? _

Yesterday, before the attack on the bridge, Jaune had this look of joy plastered on his face for some reason. Yang wasn't sure why, and it confused her to no end. Jaune seemed to be entirely out of it and completely different from his mood the prior morning. Now, he had this same smile on his lips, but it felt off.

Currently, he was sitting at another desk about fifty feet from Yang, using his right hand to prop his head up. Jaune stared off into space like he'd been lost in his thoughts momentarily. Had his eyes been closed, Yang would have figured he'd fallen asleep. Not in this instance, however. It felt as though a predator was among them, inspecting the flock with an hungered gaze.

The boy over there didn't feel like Jaune. Like someone had replaced him entirely, using a similar-looking meat suit. But Ruby was sure that it was Jaune, not some doppelganger.

Not that it changed Yang's confusion. Her own thoughts had to be scrapped to deal with this newest bombshell. Any plans that were made to make Jaune feel better had to also be altered to compensate. His change in mood didn't help either.

So, Yang turned down to a notebook sitting in front of her. All over the page were questions or plans in the making. Many were crossed out or rewritten with an explanation besides them. The page was most certainly a mess. It didn't stop her from scrawling a line or two in the space where it could fit.

"Okay, so what do you guys think," Yang said, continuing to hold her gaze on Jaune. "And no, Nora, he hasn't been abducted by aliens..."

"_Awwwwwww!_"

"Well," Blake began, setting down her book. The cat-faunus took another second to compile her thoughts. Even for one who rarely spoke in matters such as this, she'd taken quite an interest. "He isn't wearing coloured contacts."

"What," Ruby uttered in a confused tone.

_Me too, Rubes..._

"How could you possibly know that," Pyrrha asked in a tone mirroring Ruby's. Her scepticism was warranted as would anybody else's.

Yang wanted to know, as well. She wouldn't expect Blake to be the one to walk right up to him and ask if they were contacts. It was too bold for something she would do. Maybe Nora or Yang. Not like she was Velvet shy either.

The blonde couldn't picture golden eyes on the old Jaune, though. It would seem too out of place for that. However, with his more handsome features, it did work out quite nicely. If a bit weird, since nobody was used to the change.

"His pupils dilated and contracted," Blake explained confidently. "If he'd been wearing contacts, both of his pupils wouldn't change size."

"And you just _happened _to notice this," Yang questioned. Her tone suggesting something else was going on. It was enough to make Blake blush a bit before she spilt her beans.

She looked away, trying not to meet her friend's eyes. The blush on her cheeks was growing by the second as it soon captured a majority of the skin.

"_Yes_, when he came to us in the cafeteria, I saw his pupils change size..." Blake continued with wavering determination in her voice. "Humans don't have golden eyes either."

_That's kind of freaky... So what the hell is going on then? _

People's eyes didn't just change colour overnight. Even if he'd gotten his irises tattooed or something like that, Jaune wouldn't have come to school for several days. Maybe a disease that affected the eyes would change the colour, but it was still too rapid.

"You are right about humans not having golden eyes," Ren agreed, leaning back into his chair. "Jaune's appearance changing is too drastic to be natural either."

"What are you two suggesting," Pyrrha cut in with anger beginning to drip from her voice. Something, in their words offending her.

Given Pyrrha's lengthy relationship with the boy, Yang suspected such would prompt a reaction. The same thing would happen if it were Ruby as well with Yang. Having someone close to you being examined with such scepticism wore on the heart easily.

"Nothing," Blake countered, making her position quite clear. "It's... odd, seeing Jaune like this. I think most of us were pretty well aware of how he's been these past few weeks. And in the last week, it's gotten worse." She let out a breath of air and kneaded her eyes. "We're concerned, is all..."

"_Exactly_," Nora threw in her weight with them. "Jauney got beat up a few days ago, and now he's acting scarily happy! It's just not him..."

_Yeah... _

Yang had been there when Jaune got the shit kicked out of him by Cardin the first time. Or more accurately, she and Ruby had found him. The images of Jaune lying in the grass-covered in bruises and blood from his nose, refusing to leave her mind. Ruby's inconsolable voice filling her ears soon followed as she cried, holding Jaune's head in her lap.

For the next few days, Jaune kept his head down, usually burying his face in his arms so nobody could see him. Clearly embarrassed that there was nothing he could do to stop them. More so, when people came to check on him, wanting nothing to do with anybody. Purposefully, resigning himself to his own little corner of the world.

Pyrrha had been barely able to hold Yang back when she was about to kill Cardin. Nora had to help, so the blonde couldn't break free from her grasp. A rage-filled expression worn on Yang's face as she screamed obscenities towards the brunette in the hallway.

But Nora was right about Jaune's mood. It simply wasn't like him. Even for someone as positive as Jaune, bouncing back from getting jumped wasn't something one did easily. Whatever Cardin had done to Jaune in the bathroom slid off the boy like it was nothing.

"You're right, Nora," Pyrrha conceded, propping her head up with her arm. "But, what if Jaune is trying out a new look like he said?" She paused for a moment, cupping the lower portion of her face. "That doesn't explain his eyes though..."

_Why don't we just go up and ask him, P-Money?_

"I'd say he's doing a bit more than trying a new look," Yang proposed, gesturing with her right hand. "Jaune's been acting weird lately, right? Super happy and stuff like that!" She looked to all of her friends, making sure their attention was on her. "Change in attitude and look at about the same time makes him seem like a whole new person..."

"So, he's trying to change himself into someone else," Ren finished the thought.

"Ehh, not like that," Yang clarified, sitting straight up and leaning in. "I think he's trying to make a newer betterer version of Jaune... Like the one from a few days ago wasn't good enough and he's sick and tired of it."

By itself, it wasn't a bad thing. Changing your look or personality to fit a desired ideal is what a lot of teenagers do. It's about self-development and making yourself into the person you want to be by making positive changes like working out to mould your appearance or benefit your health.

"And it's because of Cardin and Weiss made him consider it," Pyrrha suggested, looking very tired now.

"Yeah... they said a _lot _of mean things to him," Ruby agreed, starting to appear mousy. Her nerves getting the better of her when talking about her friend in such a way. "But Jaune didn't say anything about wanting to change."

"If Jaune wanted to improve himself, I don't think he would mention it to any of us," Ren expressed, sinking back into his chair. "For him, it would be embarrassing, so he would bottle it up and refuse to show it."

_Sounds like Jaune... _

"Especially with the toxic atmosphere surrounding him, Jaune may have thought he was the problem," Blake added on. "Even if we don't feel the same, we have to understand Jaune's been through a lot... His timing couldn't be any better, though."

With all of the stuff going on in Vale, it would have been the perfect time to re-establish himself at Beacon. Everyone was so focused on the bridge, they wouldn't have noticed Jaune's absence or make a big deal about it. Laying low as he did would help to avoid any attention being drawn to him.

"So what do we do," Nora asked, begging for a plan to help her friend. "Jauney was perfect! He shouldn't have to hate himself because of them!"

"We do nothing," Yang declared with emphasis.

Everyone at the group looked at her like she was turning into a werewolf. Pyrrha was fuming, seeking out an actual answer instead of Yang's. Ruby and Nora were confused about the method behind the madness. Blake and Ren gave her an inquisitive look, refusing to give their thoughts via body language.

"Look," Yang began, appearing as sincere as she could. "We can speculate on how Jaune turned from tall, blonde, and scraggly to being a hotty all day. But, the facts of the matter is this, Jaune's got some stuff he needs to sort out. So, why not just keep everything as is, and make it less awkward for him? He got beat up and still said he wants to go with Ruby to the fair anyway..." Yang let out a sigh. "Just keep an eye on him though."

"I suppose that's a plan," Pyrrha concurred hesitantly. "Although, I do wish to understand why his mood changed so suddenly."

"Jaune did say he snuck out last night," Ren mentioned, twirling a pencil through his right hand. "It's possible he went somewhere near the bridge to give himself a place to think. Inadvertently putting his life in danger may have been what he needed to forget about Cardin and served as a catalyst for everything else."

_Ehhh, that's probably stretching it a bit. I can see it... _

_But why did his face change so much? Makeup? _

_No... Why would Jaune bother with it if he got stuck near the bridge? I don't think anybody would care about their looks if they were there. _

Yang had seen makeup used to polish someone to about where Jaune was, but there wasn't any she could see. Although the Arc family was no stranger to natural beauty. Many of the girls were unrivalled by their own peers when it came to appearance and didn't have to bother with makeup. Hell, their mother looked as though she were still in her late twenties.

It wasn't like Jaune was a bad looking guy anyway. However, turning into the most beautiful man in the world was a bit much. Too much for even makeup to handle. It bordered on the impossible. Same for his eyes.

_What's going on, Jaune? _

_[Teutoburg Forest: Germania] _

_A roman Centurian marched at the head of his men, guiding them along a route through the forest. Before him, were dozens of other centuria marching in a narrow formation. Their pace slow and bogged down by the conditions of the path and the weather. _

_He scanned the edge of the forest, sighting nothing within. The land becoming eerily quiet as they entered this forest. Not even the bird song echoed throughout this sea of green. Only the sounds of legionaries trampling over brush filled the air. _

_'Damn it...'_

_The Centurian hated this quiet. The legions were far too exposed in this area. He cursed to himself for allowing his men to travel into this place. However, they were here on the orders of their commander, Varus. There was nothing for the Centurian to do as there was no turning back now. _

_He scanned the forest line once more, looking for anything hiding within. The standing orders given to his subordinates were to do the same. Any sign of movement or rustle behind a bush could be anything, but he didn't wish to be caught off guard. _

_The feeling of eyes watching him made his hairs stand on end. He couldn't shrug this sensation off. Not even the rain could give him a chill to compare. His hands tightening their grip on his scutum and pilum, finding some mention of comfort with the weapons. _

_Suddenly, a horn blew, echoing throughout the whole forest. Everyone stopped, searching for the source of the sound. The Centurian dropped his pack and raised his shield. His eyes darting from the forest to his men, watching their confusion and chaotic formation. _

_What the hell is this?!_

_As he watched for movement, a javelin erupted from within the forest, burying itself into the standard-bearer to the Centurian's right. He fell to his knees, dropping dead from the blade piercing his vital organs. The death immediately followed by the frightened gasps of his fellow soldiers. _

_Without further warning, hundreds of germanic tribesmen revealed themselves—the forest concealing their approach from the Romans. Simultaneously, they began to lobbing their javelins or spears down onto the legionaries, killing many before they were able to raise their shields. Their death cries, filling the air as the blades tore through their bodies. _

_"_**_Form up, on me_**_," the Centurian shouted to his soldiers. He immediately raised his shield to block an errant spear from killing him. "_**_Testudo!_**_" _

_His soldiers followed the order, raising their shields to cover their fellow man, and coming together. Slowly, they were able to create a shell where they were protected from the missiles. However, many others were unfortunate, getting caught in the open before they were able to find cover. _

_As one, the testudo moved down the path to make its way to safety. Their pace at a fast march, speeding past the other soldiers who were left surprised by the ambush. Dozens of missiles slamming into the barrier along the way. _

_From the Centurian's point of view, he could see another body of soldiers forming their own defence up ahead. The tribesmen were dozens of feet away, using the cover of the trees to rain missiles down upon them. Barking a single order, his men advanced to meet up with the other group to mount a resistance. _

_Before they could reach the other soldiers, another horn blew from within the forest. This signalled the tribesmen to descend upon those left on the path. A dozen of them charged directly at the testudo, throwing caution to the wind. The first few throwing themselves at the barrier, causing those behind it to bury their feet into the ground. _

_On the opposite side, more tribesmen were charging directly at the testudo. They stopped a few feet away from the wall, waiting for a break in the formation. Even more surrounded the soldiers, preventing them from breaking through to the other group. On all sides, there was no escape, wholly encircled by a numerically superior opponent. _

_'Damn...'_

_The Centurian barked another order, and the entire testudo broke down. They raised their shields towards those surrounding them, keeping their backs against each other. The Centurian himself stood on the front line, holding those he commanded behind him in the formation. _

_With a shout, the first tribesman charged at the wall and so did his comrades. As one, choosing to strike the legionaries down without mercy. They threw their spears into the shield circle or attacked at the wall with a sword in hand. Everything they used against the legionaries falling short as they met legion steel. _

_The Centurian raised his scutum, blocking a tribesman from striking down with his sword. He followed up with a single thrust, punching into the man's gut before tearing the blade free. The tribesman grasping onto his stomach as he collapsed to the forest floor. _

_Another tribesman threw a spear at the Centurian, prompting him to block the missile. His vision obscured by the guard, allowing the rebel to take advantage of the opening. The rebel bolting forward, leaping off a rock with his shortsword cocked back. _

_The Centurian countered by hefting the shield above his head and blocking his attack. The man slamming into the wooden guard and then being thrown over the Centurian's head into the mob. He was quickly struck down by another legionary, and his body trampled over by the chaos. _

_Behind the Centurian, the cry of another one of his soldiers told him all he needed to know. A spear jutted out from the young man's chest as he was not able to block it. He continued crying out before blood filled his lungs, blocking his airway. Moments later, he collapsed onto another body, and someone else took his place. _

_The Centurian blocked an attack from the front. A man carrying a spear thrust the polearm towards his face. He immediately drew it back before thrusting again, missing just barely as the Centurian ducked out of the way. The Centurian then raised his shield to redirect the spear upwards before slicing across it with his sword. _

_Just as his opponent went to draw a sword, the Centurian cut across his abdomen, opening his torso completely. The man's organs spilling out onto the forest floor. He grasped at the wound but was killed immediately by another strike across the chest. _

_Another scream from the formation filled the Centurian's ears. He didn't bother to look, slicing a tribesman's arm clean off and then dispatched him with a thrust into his throat. The kill creating an opening in the crowd, allowing the Centurian to see that other group of legionaries putting up a defence. _

_They were currently being decimated by the tribesmen's attack. Their numbers quickly dwindling to a few men before all were snuffed out. The last legionary stabbed through the eye by a spear. His body fell into a mass of both legion and tribesmen. _

_'We're going to die here...' _

_The last hope of any resistance died there. The Centurian understanding what was about to happen if this farce was kept up, striking down another tribesman. He then raised his shield to block his body before issuing one last command. _

_"_**_LEGIONARIES_**_," he shouted with every ounce of strength in his body. "_**_GIVE YOUR LIVES FOR ROME! FOR THE EMPEROR! DO NOT GO TO ELYSIUM WITHOUT TAKING EVERY ONE OF THESE DOGS WITH YOU!_**_" _

_He cried out to the heavens, sending a vicious roar through the forest to the fright of the tribesmen. The Centurian charged forth, slamming his shield into the first man he could find. Such a brutal strike threw the poor fool off his feet and into his comrades. He then turned, letting another scream pass through his lips towards more of his enemies. _

_The rest of his men followed their commander, devolving into a savage display of barbarism. They threw down their shields, charging directly at the tribesmen with no thought of survival. If one man fell, another four were just behind him to tear apart his killers—each taking their deaths gladly, smiling as they passed onto the afterlife. _

_The Centurian brought down his sword directly onto the head of a tribesman. His blade cleaving through the man's skull, popping one of his eyeballs out of the socket. Another tribesman attempted to surprise the Centurian but was met with the face of his shield. The hard edge then slammed down onto the prone body with no mercy. _

_The Centurian wrenched his blade from the body and continued with the battle at hand. He sliced another's head off clean off, sending the cranium spiralling off into the growing pile of bodies. Another man felt the cold steel enter his chest from above, failing to counter the shield bash. His heart pierced by the gladius through his collar bone. _

_An attack from behind threw the Centurian off balance, causing him to drop his scutum. He whipped around to face the threat, slashing the man across the arm with his blade—the gladius carving through him with no effort, separating his arm at the elbow. _

_The Centurian searched for his shield, finding it to have been lost to the tribesmen. Dozens now circling his position, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Alongside the legionary was only two other back-to-back with the Centurian. Their bodies covered in blood. _

_His heart raced at the sight of his enemies. The Centurian wholly lacking the fear of death. His entire life spent serving Rome and willing to die for her glory. The thought excited him. _

_He reached down and grabbed another sword, bearing a set of twin blades. The Centurian prepared himself for the onslaught that was to come. His body descending into a blissful calm with only a single-minded focus. _

_And without another moment to reflect, he charged forth directly into the mob. His arms wildly swinging back and forth, cleaving through everything that got in his way. The sting of an iron blade cutting into his leg ignored in the Centurian's madness. _

_A tribesman swung widely, attempting to lodge his sword into the Centurian's neck. It was deflected by the legionary's gladius and tossed from the man's hand—the Centurian whipping around to cut his head clean off, sending the skull flying into his comrades. _

_Another blow from a club was parried from the Centurian's left hand. The small wooden staff sent flying into the crowd. Without warning, the Centurian cocked back his arms and thrust both blades into the tribesman's gut, burying them deep in his body. _

_Watching the tips of the blades jut out from his back, the Centurian ripped both away and turned to face his next opponent. Another tribesman, however, surprised the man, clocking him in the head with a sword—the blow rippling through the armour and stunning the Centurian enough to throw him to the ground. _

_He could not reach for his blades in time to continue the fight. A half dozen tribesmen were already on him, burying their swords in the Centurian's torso. The man's organs torn apart as they repeatedly stabbed into his chest without mercy. Blood beginning to pour freely from each of the open wounds. _

_... _

_The Centurian had no idea how long it had been. His vision became blurry, and the air grew quiet. He could not lift his body up to inspect the battlefield and call for his comrades. No matter whatever sound he made, it would not draw anyone to his location. _

_However, an approaching figure in his peripheral vision drew the man's attention—his dark skin, indicating that this newest arrival was from a land far from here. The way he walked telling the Centurian he was not concerned with the battle going on here. In fact, the man was joyfully taking a stroll through the woods. _

_When he came closer to the Centurian, the man's eyes changed colour. A dark sclera and bright orange iris replaced the white and brown. This development sending a shiver down the Centurian's spine. His body feeling a terror he had never known before. _

_That a monster was in his midst. _

_He tried to raise a sword to his defence, but the man simply placed his foot atop the blade, stopping him there. The man then picked the Centurian up by the collar and lifted him to his height. A set of fangs erupting from the man's canines soon found their place buried into the Centurian's throat. _

**[Jaune]**

Jaune sharply inhaled, looking around only to realise he was still at school. The students to his left and right were chatting aimlessly, waiting for the next bell to ring. Everything around him giving the impression nothing was out of place. A sense of calm filling the air to a more chaotic setting.

_What was that?_

He gazed into his open palm, clenching and the opening the fist several times. Jaune unsure of what he'd just seen. Whether it be another vision given to him by the Ghost or a distant memory could not be determined. However, he had seen everything from that Centurian's point of view. Jaune had lived through his experience dying on the battlefield.

Something Jaune did understand was that vampire. He was Methuselah. Albeit, the man looked more like an unkempt vagabond than the corpse Jaune found. A few thousand years younger than he was today.

As he continued to ponder the events within the vision, Jaune's heart raced. His body trembling with the sight of the battle. The courage in the Centurian's heart to face his foe gladly and give his life for a cause he held so dear. His berserker's rage and thirst for the blood of his enemies.

Those emotions and actions were felt as if they were Jaune's own. Akin to a distant memory or dream he conjured. Such a discovery did not come alone, however.

Upon waking this morning, Jaune could have taken the first breath of fresh air he had in years. Everything was new to him. From his sense of taste to touch, it was all amplified to an extraordinary degree. His emotions more potent than ever before.

Seeing Ruby this morning elicited such a robust response, Jaune could barely hold himself together. He was so happy to see her again, his body began shaking, and his stomach tied into knots. The rush from this minor encounter coming with such an intensity he never experienced once in his life. Everything else palling in comparison.

Even when he was a normal human or newly-blooded vampire, the emotions he felt were stifled compared to this. For all intents and purposes, they were fake—a pseudo facsimile created by Jaune. Only these counterfeits were a crude attempt at recreating something so much more beautiful.

For the few memories he held before leaving Vale, Jaune's emotions were still cursed by this same constraint. All feelings and sensations suppressed by a force his younger self could not understand. However, that did not stop a child from living as if they were not so. Jaune's fledgeling soul unable to be tainted by this sensation, which plagued him.

His awakening finally throwing off those shackles, allowing this long-dead corpse to rise from the grave. The events of the previous night serving as the first step towards his new-found goal. A new beginning for the young man to finally live as he was meant to. No longer chained by the boundaries, which had been unknown to him for his entire life.

So, Jaune made his way through school today, taking the time to appreciate every moment. He savoured every feeling and interaction he took part in—the man revelling in these experiences like a child first heading out into the world. His lenses no longer clouded by the years of repression inflicted upon those forced to grow up.

The feeling of dissatisfaction driving his cravings was still there. Its void not forgotten so easily by the boy. How it encompassed all the things he loved.

When Jaune had seen Weiss during lunch earlier, Jaune felt the cold sting of her words once more. How deeply they cut his heart as they repeated over and over. How he hated seeing Weiss' terror growing with every step he made towards her. Jaune wanting so badly to talk to the girl.

As she rose from her chair, Jaune could hardly continue, yet, forced himself to otherwise. The moment she disappeared, her aura vanished along with this sombre mood.

_I should stay away from her... _

If Jaune could feel her aura, then she could do the same. The difference in power between the two now flipped wildly. Whatever pain it inflicted upon her was probably too much for her to handle. And Jaune didn't want to hurt something he loved so dearly.

Such was the dilemma he found himself in. The boy loved the feelings he endured, but so fervently wanted to avoid this one for the sake of something else he loved.

Thinking about the times he asked Weiss out brought this same feeling back to light. The pain of rejection a common theme in Jaune's life regardless of his condition. Every single time, another dagger to the heart, delivered mercilessly and without hesitance.

_"Hey, Weiss," Jaune said, flashing her a gentle smile. His heart beating against his chest at the sight of his crush._

_She looked up towards him, giving the boy a look of apparent disgust. Her annoyance almost palatable in the air. Those opal-blue eyes piercing straight through his body. A shiver sent down his spine as they continued to hold their gaze. _

_"Ummm, there's a new Spruce Willis movie out," he explained nervously. "I-I got some tickets and wanted to know if you'd want to go out with me..." _

_Weiss continued to hold the same expression, not giving him an answer for several moments. However, after this pregnant pause, she inhaled lightly and closed her notebook. _

_"_**_No_**_," she replied tersely, refusing to let the boy down lightly. "Why would I want to go out with 'you?'" _

_Before Jaune could say anything, she quickly stood up and left her desk along with the boy. His body refusing to move from this spot, still reeling from her words. _

A single droplet fell onto Jaune's open hand. It was followed by another, landing an inch away from it. The boy blinked several more times, feeling his eyes fill up with tears rather suddenly.

"Heh," he let out a light laugh. The way his body responding to these tears eliciting such. "Heheheeehahahahahagh..."

Oh, how much he delighted feeling such emotions. It served to drive his cravings even further.

The sound of the bell ringing signalled the end of the school day. Students quickly rose from their chairs, accompanied by the rise in volume from their speech. They each began funnelling to the door, leaving Jaune by his lonesome.

_What should I do next?_

Jaune wasn't sure where he would be if he never realised his desires. Only by gathering the knowledge needed to overcome a crux he'd been unaware of, he was able to finally break free of it. That said, the result was how his own ideas were no longer grounded in the current truth. They didn't hold up to the scrutiny of new information, so he needed to start at the basics once more.

_Why not just enjoy my time here? _

This most ambitious project Jaune was undertaking could take years to complete. Yet, already, the forceful brushstrokes were layering over the former's work. His efforts forging these emotions and sensations Jaune craved, leaving him only wanting more. The abundance of love he held for this world, driving him to achieve his satisfaction.

_Because... From the bottom of my heart, _**_I love everything... The one and only truth I have in this life._**

_So, I must seek every stimulus this world has to offer. For my Magnum Opus requires the world and everything within to be completed. _

_The most beautiful monument this world has ever known cannot be composed of tawdry materials. _

Jaune rose from his desk, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He turned to head out of the room when he spotted his friends huddled together. Their conversation disturbed by Jaune's attention being brought to them. They quickly sat back down, all staring at him in response to Jaune's gaze.

Their expressions projected this sense of unease unto the Vampire. They were not apathetic to his appearance, but the exact opposite. A few seemed genuinely interested or enthusiastic about seeing him once more. Although, Pyrrha, especially was rather nervous.

Jaune did not feel self-conscious about their staring. He did not even worry about this when his appearance changed overnight. In fact, the beast that peered back at him through the mirror appeared to be a familiar one. Jaune's truest form in all it's splendour.

It did not matter if he understood the reasoning behind his new looks. Jaune could not care less if they were such a drastic change from his original appearance. The sensation of panic to disguise what he became simply did not vex him any longer.

There was no shame in allowing himself to act in a manner according to his nature.

Stepping up to his friends, Jaune flashed them a genuine smile, saying, "Hey, guys!"

Everyone acknowledged him, either waving back or verbally replying. Their reactions subdued with his presence. Clearly, each of them was disarmed by Jaune's appearance. Unsure of how to deal with it just yet.

He turned to Ruby and Pyrrha, sitting next to each other. The taller, shrinking back into her chair with just his gaze standing upon her. Ruby, however, seemed unperturbed about his attention, acting as she always did.

"Ruby, Pyrrha," he began. "Do you guys want to hang out?"

A question based on a whim. Jaune's desire pulling him to bring along these two female companions. His heart already aching with the possibilities it would conjure. Legitimately excited for the opportunity to spend time with his friends.

"_Wooowwwwww~_," Yang cut in before they could respond. "No invitation for the rest of us?! I'm sad, heartbroken!"

"No, you're not," Blake countered, giving the blonde a deadpan look. Her outrage not getting the best of the faunus. "You already said you were hanging with Coco, Velvet, and me."

"Dang it, Blake, let me have this!"

Ignoring them, Jaune turned back to his prospective companions. Ruby was already rearing to go, but Pyrrha seemed more hesitant about it. Jaune sure his new appearance having a more significant effect on his long time friend.

"Come on, Pyrrha," Ruby chirped, standing up and climbing over the desk to free herself from the crowd. "Let's go!"

The prompt from Ruby forced something out of the girl. She turned to Ren and Nora with a nervous expression plastered on her lips.

"What about you guys?"

"Eh, we're stuck on campus," Nora explained, shrugging her shoulders. "They cancelled all the clubs and barred all the 'bored'-ing students from leaving..."

_That sucks... _

Jaune already knew about this restriction taking hold. A hardly entertaining predicament to be trapped in. However, even with how dull being stuck at school was, he could understand the reasoning. Protecting her charge was one of Ms Goodwitch's most important roles.

"Okay," Pyrrha agreed, summoning a surge of confidence she recently did not possess. "That sounds like a wonderful idea!" The red-head reached down and grabbed her bags. "Shall we get going then?!"

...

Coming outside into the courtyard, Jaune observed the crowd ahead. Many of the students were waiting for a ride to pick them or were passing the time. Their scents filled the air all the while as the Vampire passed through the ranks. His ears picked up their conversation only as background noise to his friend's speech.

"Heh..."

For the modest setting of a high school, this place was but a promising battleground. Only now, stocked with souls hardly worth the sacrifice. Their hearts not yet truly tasting the sweet ichor that flowed them all. A mere collection of shadows amidst the more distinguished figures of this location.

Those being himself and Weiss.

None were capable of standing as equals among those two. The Centurian's meagre soul easily putting the rest to shame.

However, Jaune's interest turned back to the girls walking beside him. Ruby's excitable demeanour currently the charm he craved. Not to say Pyrrha's presence did not bring its own majesty.

"So, what do guys think the fight was all about," Ruby asked, walking backwards so she could face her friends. "Like, what caused it?"

"Magic," Jaune answered confidently, shrugging his shoulders. He dared not tell the rest of the truth to these two. Their minds were not ready to handle such knowledge.

"That's a pretty big assumption, Jaune," Pyrrha replied sceptically. "Although there are many things which we do not fully understand, I don't want to suspect something supernatural. What if it was some kind of weapon that escaped?"

"I don't know," Ruby expressed, cupping her chin. Her expression morphed into one of contemplation. "It would make sense if it walked into the bay. But, we all saw that giant rise up from under the ocean." She looked over at Jaune. "Did you get a better view in Vale last night?"

_More than you know... _

"Yeah, it looked like a hole opened up on the seabed," Jaune explained truthfully. "I didn't stick around very long because of the explosions, so I'm not the person to ask about this kind of stuff."

"That's fine, Jaune," Pyrrha encouraged, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But what were you doing down there anyway?"

Jaune felt apprehensive about answering this question. The way Pyrrha sounded was as if she were concerned about something. Most likely dealing with Weiss or Cardin, since Pyrrha had fretted over him during the past few weeks because of those two. Not that it was a bad thing either. He appreciated her concern whole-heartedly.

It made Jaune think back to the time he nearly killed himself by jumping off the bridge. Such a spot was already a popular place for those hoping to do the deed anyway. With how his behaviour had been recently, Pyrrha might have suspected he was trying to do the same. Only this time, interrupted by the Killer and her pet giant.

"Ugghhh," Jaune groaned, glancing off to his left away from Pyrrha. "I needed some time alone... You know, I just wanted to think about stuff. Being stuck in my room and trying it wasn't working, so I just took a walk." He flashed the girls a light smile, rubbing the back of his nervously. "My crappy luck decided to show up right there..." He finished, laughing nervously.

"You're luckier than you think," Pyrrha reassured. "We all saw how much damage that giant did around the bay. It's a miracle you didn't get hurt!"

_Yeah, I'm surprised only a hundred people got killed... All of those apartment buildings by the bridge were flattened, but nobody got trapped inside them. _

"Kind of wish it was helping me out when I came back to my house," Jaune countered, blushing as the memory played in his head. "My sisters nearly tore me a new one when I tried to sneak in."

"Was it that bad," Ruby asked the obvious question.

Jaune was not prepared for the onslaught of his sisters when he arrived. They were all waiting for him in the living room once again and fell into a fit of mania as he walked through the door. A lot of yelling and berating Jaune for being an idiot followed and the boy had to do his best to keep himself from laughing.

"Yeah," Jaune confirmed. "They didn't lock me in the basement, though, so it could have been worse."

"I'm sure it wasn't," Pyrrha agreed with a laugh. "Your sisters are pretty overprotective, but they were just concerned."

"If they locked you in the dungeon, Yang and I would have come to rescue you," Ruby expressed with bravado. "We already planned, Operation: Save Jaune's butt again... So, our brave knights would break into the castle and whisk away the princess to the fair she was supposed to attend."

_Ah, yes, the fair... _

Jaune's heart leapt into his throat just thinking about it. From his chest to loins, the Vampire felt a tremor ripple through him. When Ruby mentioned the idea to him, Jaune was already excited for the event. The chance to accompany his friend to a night of fun. It did not matter if other vampires were stalking Vale.

They would all die if they interfered. A sacred event such as this could not be interrupted.

"And your princess would be grateful," Jaune responded, taking a cartoonish bow. His tone mimicking that of a noble. As he finished the pose, Jaune looked back up to Ruby. "However, I have one request. Can we bring along the rest of our friends?"

"Really," Ruby asked excitedly, breaking her act. Each of her silver eyes opening widely as she hopped up and down on her toes.

"Eh, why not?"

Before Ruby or Pyrrha could reply, a group of eight men wandered into view. These figures belonging to the Beacon Academy student body. Many of which Jaune could hardly recognise as he did not interact with them. However, the four Jaune did know stood in front of him.

"**_Cardin_**," Pyrrha angrily spat, stomping past Jaune. Stopping before the taller boy, she looked directly into his eye with a snarl on her lips. "**_What the fuck are you doing?!_**"

Jaune swore a shiver ran down his spine, feeling Pyrrha's anger in the air. Cardin, however, played ignorant to this outrage, beaming like an idiot. His friends did not match this same confidence their leader held.

"What's wrong, babe," Cardin replied calmly, ignoring the girl standing in front of him. His tone trying to sound cool despite it not being so. "I'm just going to have a little chat with Jauney-Boy over here..." He gestured to one of his friends, and they grabbed Pyrrha, pulling her out of his way.

Cardin headed straight towards Jaune with a serious expression verging on anger painted on his face. With every step, Ruby shrunk back away from the boy, but Jaune refused to move. The act the brunette was putting on did not frighten Jaune in the least.

How could someone so weak cause a Vampire to grovel before them? A pretender of strength no better than the typical charlatan. Cardin was hardly worth addressing as a man much less a serious combatant. Someone so insecure about themselves they'd rather point out other's faults than deal with their own.

"_What the fuck did I tell you, Arc_," Cardin shouted into Jaune's face. His height forcing the blonde to look up at him. "_Stay away from Nikos! That's it! But you decide to come back here acting all tough and shit! A new look doesn't change a goddamn thing, faggot!" _

"Are you done, yet," Jaune asked before Cardin could get another word out. "Because I'm making plans with my friends for this weekend, and you're interr-"

Cardin cocked back his left arm and launched his fist directly into Jaune's face. The knuckles slammed into the centre of his brow, causing a loud crack to emanate from within. Furthermore, the sound of Cardin's arm breaking came immediately after. His radius crumbling along with half the metacarpals in his hand.

Jaune was not even moved by the fist. He remained standing there like a stone block.

"**_FUCK_**," Cardin screamed, grabbing his newly broken fist with his already damaged one. Tears pouring out from his eyes due to the sheer pain he was in.

Jaune did not allow him to walk away yet. He reached down, faster than Cardin could react, unlatching his belt and allowing the man's pants to fall to his ankles. With the newly found belt in hand, Jaune gave Cardin a gentle lashing across the back of thighs, making him yelp from the sting.

Cardin then collapsed behind Jaune as the blonde stepped past him. The pain clouding his judgment and preventing him from realising that his pants had fallen. A single step tripped the boy up, and he unceremoniously tumbled to the concrete.

Three of his friends moved in to jump the blonde. The humiliation their leader received not unsettling them in the slightest. Jaune only stood there, meeting them with a smile on his face. The belt slung over his shoulder, folded in half like a father would punishing some children.

The first of the trio threw a punch at Jaune's head, but the Vampire stepped to the side, easily dodging the attempt. He stumbled forward, putting too much force into the blow. An opportunity Jaune took, wrapping the belt around his arm and redirecting the man completely.

Spinning him around faster than his friend could react, the first brawler was clocked right in the mouth. Jaune then unleashed his arm, quickly wrapping the second man's arm with it as well. Before the two could move, Jaune grabbed the first man and tied the two together. Without a pause, Jaune then buckled the man's arm to the other's head tightly.

As the third moved in to assist, Jaune kicked the man in the crotch, stopping him dead in his tracks. He cried out similarly to Cardin, grabbing at what remained of his bloodline. Jaune then slapped his arms away, undoing his belt before lashing it around his leg. A simple tug brought the man to the ground.

Grabbing onto his leg, Jaune pulled him over to the other pair struggling against their binds. With two of the three arms, Jaune wrapped the belt around those and the third man's leg before tying them all together. The trio now hobbling around in a humiliating fashion.

A fourth boy met the same fate as his friends. He attempted to strike Jaune from behind but ended up missing. A slight step to the right made his fist crash into the first boy's head again. Jaune wasted no time rectifying this, undoing his belt and then tying his legs to the only remaining arm available from the first two.

Taking a moment to admire the work of art, Jaune then turned to the last three remaining boys. Dove, Sky, and Russel. Two of those idiots were holding onto Pyrrha and were having to fight so they could keep their grasp. Clearly, the stronger girl needing two fully grown men to keep her down.

Dove's concentration on Pyrrha moved to Jaune for a brief second, allowing her to take advantage of it. She stomped down into his foot with her uniform's heel, probably breaking several tarsal bones as a result. He screamed loudly and grabbed at the damaged limb, but was silenced by Pyrrha, giving a quick jab at his throat.

Sky and Russel, however, didn't know when to quit. They each bumrushed Jaune with hardly any concern for what happened to the five boys tied up behind him. Not that it mattered either way.

Sky's weak attempt at a haymaker was ducked under by Jaune. He cocked back his arm, then slamming a fist into his right thigh. Not enough to shatter the femur, but enough to make Sky tumble to the floor. His knee having hyperextended itself at the same time.

Russel, the last one standing, did nothing. His legs got swept out from underneath without warning. His upper half finding itself crashing into the concrete fast enough to knock the wind out of his lungs.

Without hesitation, Jaune looked over to Pyrrha, who was rubbing her arms. Bruises likely began forming on the skin from her tussle with the boys. The pained expression on her face made Jaune fume with anger. However, he knew it wasn't the time to let loose and deliver a proper punishment to Cardin and his friends. The young woman before him deserved more care than that.

"Are you okay, Pyrrha," Jaune asked concernedly. He took one of her hands and rolled up her blazer's sleeve to expose the bruises.

His eyes locked with her's for only a moment. However, both refused to take them off each other—this ephemeral moment lasting for what felt like an eternity. Pyrrha's emerald eyes but the deepest ocean Jaune could lose himself in. Ended all too early as she looked away.

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered, blushing hard and quickly taking back her arms.

"Sorry about that, guys," Jaune apologised, going to pick up his bag. "Do you want to call it a night?"

Jaune was sure Pyrrha would want to retire after this. Their fun ruined by a few interlopers who had no business getting in the way. The only thing Jaune could do to salvage this was to walk Pyrrha home at least.

"No," Pyrrha and Ruby said at once. Their denial confusing Jaune.

"It's not your fault, Jaune," Pyrrha continued, resurrecting her cheery tone. "I still want to hang out with you... But you're going to make it up to us at the amusement park, right?"

"Yeah," Ruby chirped in agreement, pointing at him. "I expect a rollercoaster ride out of you for once!"

The two girls stared at him with the most serious faux-expressions they could manage. Their hopes for both this evening and the one planned not hampered by this fight.

"Hahahhahahahahaha," Jaune burst out laughing, unable to control himself at this turn of events. The unexpected, far too entertaining for him to suppress the reaction. "_Okay,_ I'll make it up to you guys! Let's just get out of here!"

Ruby lead the group along, followed by Pyrrha and Jaune. The mood returning to what it once was, but with a different flavour entirely. One that felt less sombre as they moved onto lighter topics. The genuine experience Jaune hoped for.

"But, we're going to tell your sisters you got into a fight..."

_Crap... _

**[Later that Night] **

A woman fleeing from something turned down an empty street—her hopes for someone to aid her not able to be fulfilled. Her panicked breathing filling the air amidst the distant cacophony of the city. She trepidatiously continued through this place despite the uncertainty, choosing not to hide.

The woman reached into her purse, searching for a phone. Locating the device, she fumbled it while attempting to turn the power on—the light click of the button with no result agitating her further. Tears beginning to pour down her cheeks with the swell of emotions.

"_Goddammit..._"

The sound of a bottle rolling across the concrete alerted her to the road she came from. A breath hitched in her throat as she took a single step towards the opposite side of the neighbourhood. The woman continuing to retreat, keeping herself hidden next to a row of cars.

Suddenly, wires wrapped around her body, stringing her up from a lampost. Only a single cry for help managed to escape as they gagged her. The woman trying to combat her pursuer with every bit of fight she could muster, thrashing against the steel cables.

From the darkness, a figure approached the woman. Her body clad in a black mist. The wires used to restrain her coming out of her hands.

The woman's struggle increased as she watched the Killer come closer. However, a soft brush on her right cheek made her stop. She opened her eyes to stare into the blackened abyss, trying to speak a plea all the while.

"**_Verweile doch, du bist so schön_**," she said. Her voice reverberating in a supernatural manner.

Before the Killer could do anything else, something drew her attention away from the woman. She turned around to find another pair of figures wearing black trench coats, standing off to the side. Each of them was leaning against a vehicle, nonchalantly watching the show.

The Killer raised her hand, pointing it towards the pair. A flame sprouted from within, growing to around the size of a baseball. The intensity of the heat enough to cause discomfort to any standing in the street.

"Oh, dear," one of them spoke in feigned concern. A young woman, covering her smile with her right hand. Her voice sporting a rich german accent. "I believe we have been spotted!" She reached behind her back, grabbing her own hands and then leaned forward. "Do not mind us! We are merely casual observers! You may do as you wish with this woman!"

The Killer complied, turning back to her quarry. A slight constriction of her right hand caused the wires to tighten down. Without warning, the cables then cut through the woman, exploding her into hundreds of pieces. A messy pile taking her place as the wires retreated.

With the deed done, the Killer turned away and began heading back to the alley she came from. The two individuals she ignored, continuing to watch from the side—the feminine member waving as the Killer left their sight.

"**_Auf wiedersehen, mein fräulein!_**"

* * *

**Translations for those who only speak democracy: "Stay for a while, you are so beautiful," and "Goodbye, my lady."**

**Complete and utter humilation of CRDL and four other poor fools at Jaune's hands. They done fucked with the wrong vampire. **

**Now, the battle of Teutoburg Forest is a real thing. Three roman legions were massacred in a rebellion there. Jaune was able to see the final moments of a soldier who was killed by Methuselah. **

**And Jaune got his emotions back! But they're way more substantial than they were before. His awakening removing the last of his unknown chains, allowing the true form of Jaune to exist in this world. **

**The Jaune in this chapter is not his final version, though. He can and will change over time as his experiences morph his attitude. The development of these new emotions and appreciation of the world need some time to get used to. **

* * *

**Encyclopedia of MAJMLYAI.**

**Vampires:**

**Jaune**

**Aliases: Leonhardt, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**Familiars: Crocea Mors, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**People Consumed: 31**

**Major Arcana: The Emperor**

**Pasty**

**Aliases: Element Unknown**

**Methuselah**

**(He ded.)**

**Friends/Allies:**

**Ruby**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Yang**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Pyrrha**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Weiss**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown**

**Blake**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**


	18. The Requiem

**I took a bullet for all of you guys and read Fifty Shades of Grey last week. **

**Don't worry, it gets better. **

**Recently, I found a youtube channel by the name of Dominic Noble. He's done his own review of Fifty Shades and said it was horrible (paraphrasing but that's what it amounts to.) Now, I come along, thinking 'Oh, I have to see this for myself. It can't be any worse than what Dom is saying.' **

**Biggest fucking mistake I've made all year. **

**Shakespeare took angry shits and wrote better stories than this! Most fanfiction writers on this site have written better novels than the Fifty Shades author has. This story is clearly a horror novel disguised as an erotic romance! The amount of emotional and physical abuse that is romanticised in this novel is downright offensive and dangerous. It borders on sexual assault territory in some parts even. **

**I was so pissed off after I got done, I just took a break for a week. The only good thing that came out of this was I found my new favourite movie, Django Unchained. It has Christoph Waltz in it and he pretty much plays as the less Nazi version of Hans Landa. **

* * *

"_...Pyrrha's fine, she just got a couple bruises on her arms_," Ruby explained through the phone. Her voice filled with fearful hesitation as she did so. "_But, don't worry about us, okay! We're hanging out with Jaune right now, so you can come by to see Pyrrha too._"

"Got it, Rubes, thanks," Yang replied, clicking the 'end call' button on her Scroll.

The blonde stood there for a few moments, contemplating what she had just been told. Her face remaining expressionless as she stared at the debris laying by her feet. Not even a breath escaped the girl's open lips.

Then suddenly, with a scream, Yang slammed her fist through the nearest wall. A vicious crack emanated from their meeting point as the soft plaster rendered into dust. Her breathing skyrocketed with the surge of hormones pouring into her system. Tears began streaming down her cheeks.

**_THAT MOTHERFUCKER!_**

...

**Blake, Sent 3:40 PM: "Yang, do you want to talk about it?"**

**Seen: 4:02 PM**

**Blake, Sent 4:05 PM: "I know you saw my text, Yang. Come on, please." **

**Seen: 6:30 PM **

**Yang, Sent 7:13 PM: "I want to fucking kill him!" **

**[Blake: Vale, The Next Day]**

"Look at all this shit," Yang cursed as she turned over a piece of debris. The large sheet of wood snapped in half, kicking up a cloud of dust. Some of which got into her eye, prompting Yang to throw it across the room like a spear.

_You showed him..._

Blake had been watching the blonde fume for what seemed like an eternity. Most of the day since the two met up, but that was beside the point. Yang was in one of those unsparing, break something and not give a crap about it moods. Which, might have been funny if the context behind it wasn't horrendous.

Hearing about Cardin trying, and miserably failing to attack Jaune was probably the low point of yesterday. A call from Ruby, telling her about it threw Yang into a fury. The blonde then storming out of what was left of Blake's apartment and disappeared for the rest of the afternoon. A worried Velvet, rage-filled Coco, and Blake were left behind in a scenario, which could not be described as anything but awkward.

It took Yang a few hours to text back, letting her friends know she cooled down enough to talk. Blake and Coco then having to coax Yang out of a potential homicide. Such a conversation going on for another few hours before Yang gave up on it and went to bed. Now Blake didn't think Yang would follow through with it, but there was always the chance she would. At least, in the back of Blake's mind. A peculiar set of events could drive anyone to commit an act they would eventually regret.

Blake, herself, was furious even a full day later. Pyrrha was one of her best friends, and a boy put his hands on her, leaving bruises while he physically restrained her. So, all of them deserved what they got. It didn't matter if Jaune broke bones or crippled them for life. Blake would have done the same if she had the means.

Right now, she was too angry to question how Jaune got the upper hand on all of them or how he broke Cardin's arm with his face. Blake just wanted to be glad those boys couldn't do anything worse to her friends.

The sound of glass breaking from another room drew Blake from her thoughts. She looked through one of the now open walls to see her mother sifting through what was left of a china cabinet. Nothing of which could be recovered. The only piece remaining was half of a cup that crumbled in her hands.

The same could be said of the rest of Blake's apartment. While a sturdy construction in the same style as a traditional Japanese home, it did not hold up to a single attack from that giant. It had absolutely demolished the house, causing most of the roof to collapse onto the lower floor. Almost all eight thousand square feet of it currently lying in ruins.

Blake's bedroom was nearly spared, but half of her ceiling caved in. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust or crushed beneath the other debris. Those same particles in the air forcing the girls to wear respirators as to not breath any of it in.

Yesterday, before Yang had run off, they were forced to clear out the debris blocking the way in just to reach Blake's bedroom. The hallway leading to it, and the door to her room, both catching the laser beam. Only by making a hole in the wall were they able to find their way in.

What could be salvaged was up for debate. Luckily, this was only Blake's second home. Nothing irreplaceable remained here.

Her bed was most certainly broken by the roof falling on it, so that was out of the question. They did manage to find her laptop intact, but the screen was cracked, and the other accessories were also broken. Whatever clothes were in the closet did survive, only needing a quick wash. However, the dressers and other furniture holding the rest of her wardrobe were currently under a foot of rubble.

_This is a mess... _

Blake tip-toed her way over to the window, looking out into the disaster that was Vale. Plumes of smoke were still rising all across the city as fire departments fought them endlessly. Sirens were ringing out at all hours as they worked to restore order. The highest towers of Vale's skyline were threatening to come down at any moment.

From Blake's memory, this was probably one of the worst disasters to hit a large US city this century. Since 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, there had not been anything to her knowledge that compared so easily. Yet, all this damage was caused by two people getting into a fight. If they alone could do this, what if more of these 'supermen' decided to show themselves?

Given that, Ms Goodwitch probably had the right idea to cancel school for now. Even the after school clubs and sports were cancelled for the foreseeable future. But the threat of more violence among the student body was probably the last straw. Nobody needed that on top of everything else going on.

_Weiss was right about something at least... _

"Hey, Blake, everything all right over there," Yang asked from behind. Her voice was muffled by a mask, making it difficult to hear.

Though, the question prompted Blake to straighten herself out. She realised Yang might have been watching her for who knows how long. The girl quickly turned around to face Yang, putting on a less solemn expression. Enough to give the impression nothing was wrong.

Which was true. Sure, Blake was a little stressed out, but who wasn't?

Yang, on the other hand, wasn't looking too hot. She had bags under her eyes and seemed exhausted. Yang wasn't carrying herself in the usually super confident manner either. She was also too quiet, refusing to joke around like yesterday.

"I'm fine," Blake replied tersely, shrugging her shoulders. "I was just looking at Vale."

Yang stepped up to her side, glancing out the window. Whatever mask she had put on vanished a few moments later. Replacing it was something comparable to awe, but not in a good way. Awful, as in watching a car accident or plane crash.

How could anyone not feel the same gazing out onto Vale? The upper third of the Schnee Electric Company tower was resting upon another damaged skyscraper, and both looked ready to crumble under pressure. Two other towers had collapsed onto the streets below, decimating the buildings underneath.

"Okay, just making sure," Yang said, turning back to Blake, flashing her a smile under the mask. "I didn't know if you were... kind of losing it there. You just lost your house and all that plus a bunch of your stuff..."

Her tone was awkward and clearly forced. Yang tried to put on a strong front, but it didn't come off very well. Her support was welcomed, but she more of a mess that needed sorting out.

_Ironic because she said the same about Jaune..._

"It's all right," Blake reassured her, picking up a dust-covered shirt and folding it in half. "It's only my apartment... Not like I don't have a mansion anyway."

"Rich people problems, right," Yang jested, turning over another pile of debris. She then stood up straight clutching the skin just below her neck. "_'Oh my, our penthouse has been destroyed! What shall we do?!'_" Yang shifted over a foot and assumed another pose, clasping her hands together behind her back. "_'Don't worry honey, we can take the car over to our summer home. If not, then we can always fall back to your mother's estate.'_"

Blake laughed out loud at Yang's act. While her British accent could use some work, it was a decent performance. One she didn't expect, but a way of lightening the mood.

It was also another method Yang had for dealing with her own anger. Because punching things did not always work out as she intended. Neither did breaking legs since that was an excellent way to get suspended no matter how much the other person deserved it.

"We're not _that _rich," Blake countered dryly. "Weiss is the one with the cake butler..."

"_Do not remind me_," Yang groaned loudly, throwing her head back. "How does someone just casually mention they have a butler for cake?! For cake?!"

"Her family's got a _few _billion dollars tucked away somewhere," Blake added on with the mother of all understatements. "Although, I think they're more of a pastry chef than an actual butler."

"Tomato, tomahto," Yang dismissed, waving her hand towards Blake. A second later, she stiffened up and took on a more sombre attitude. "But now that we're talking about her... How do you think she's handling this new and improved Jaune?"

_Badly... _

Blake wasn't sure how many of their friends noticed Weiss' rather sudden exit yesterday. The ravenette had spotted her running away through her peripheral vision. Whatever was going on a few seconds before was a mystery to her, however.

"Weiss was probably terrified when she realised it was him," Blake proposed, leaning against what remained of a dresser. "You and I know how badly she's been handling this entire thing... Maybe she's beating herself up about it and thinks she's the reason why Jaune got a new look?"

Something Blake did agree on was Yang's theory about Jaune changing himself because he didn't think he was good enough. Seeing Jaune, all of a sudden may have brought Weiss to the same conclusion. Especially with how abrupt the development was with their recent encounters on top of Cardin assaulting him in the bathroom. The shame of her actions plus Weiss' already present fear of running into him simply added up.

"Yeah, I get your point," Yang concurred, rubbing the back of her head. "I think she needs to find a way of clearing things up with him... But, we're not any better at that than she is."

_Ah, crap... _

"Like, how are you not pissed off still," Yang continued, raising her voice in anger. Both hands thrown into the air, showing it through her body language. "Those assholes hurt Pyrrha, and you're calm!"

Yang picked up another piece of debris and threw it across the room. The wooden stake embedded itself into the paper walls separating the bedroom from the public space. Any harder and it would have sailed straight through, giving her mother a fright.

However, Blake didn't initially reply to her friend's outburst. Letting Yang get this out of her system was probably the safest thing she could do right now. Anything involving incurring the blonde's wrath was about the worse idea a person could act upon. Especially when she was carrying around sharp objects.

Blake liked to think that was a part of their charm. Yang was the one who got more visibly upset about stuff and needed someone to listen to her. It just so happened to be that Blake was better equipped to let her friend do the ranting.

"I want to hang all of those guys by their balls," Yang growled, slamming her hands together like she was crushing a bug. "Just the sack! No shaft! Over a pool of piranhas, using barbed wire to hold them up!" She turned around and pointed directly at Blake. "And don't you dare think I'm bullshitting, Blake! Because, if I see those assholes look at Pyrrha or Velvet again, I'm going to make Jigsaw look like he's a fucking joke!"

She whipped back around and kicked at some more debris laying on the ground. A cloud of dust shot up from under her foot, revealing what underneath. It made Yang pause for just a moment, and Blake swore she could feel the blonde's Cheshire grin stretching across her lips.

"_Oolala, Blake_," Yang said in a low tone. Reaching down, she picked out a single book hiding among all of the wood splinters and dust. She turned the cover over to expose the title, 'Ninjas of Love.' "You naughty girl..."

Blake felt all of the blood leave her face at that moment, or her face turned red like a tomato. She didn't know or care. The realisation that Yang found the one book Blake hoped nobody else would notice, took precedent.

_I thought I hid that in the closet!_ _Goddammit, it must have gotten knocked out somehow!_

"**_Yang, no_**," Blake shouted, dashing across the room to snatch it out of her hands. She leapt upon her final bound but was stopped by the sheer wall of muscle that was Yang Xiao Long. "_Give that back!_"

Pushing Blake back with one hand, Yang held the book up high enough so she couldn't grab it despite their close height. The difference in strength between the two girls made more apparent now than before. Blake's entire body was put into trying to topple the blonde over but could not move her an inch. Yang just stood there casually, grinning all the while as her friend fought tooth and nail.

"No-no-no-no, Blakey," Yang playfully denied, still holding her away with no effort whatsoever. "Not until you admit you're just as pissed off as I am!"

"Fine, yes, I'm mad about it," Blake said halfheartedly. She tried jumping up to snatch the book out of Yang's hands but was pushed back at the height of her vault.

"Nope, say it with your chest," Yang countered, using the hand holding the book to open it up. "Or I'm gonna find the smuttiest part of your smutty-smut-smut, and we'll read it to the class!"

_Damn you, Yang! It's not smut!_

"Okay," Blake shouted loudly. "I want to kick Cardin's ass too! I hate him about as much as everyone else at Beacon!"

Yang grinned widely, dropping the book into the ravenette's hands. She dove to catch the book before it was able to land among the debris.

"See, wasn't that hard," Yang chirped, skipping over to the other side of the room. "You can't bottle this stuff up! It's not good for you..."

"I'm not bottling it up," Blake countered dryly. She ran her hand across the top of her book, wiping off any remaining dust. "I just don't need to be as loud about it like you."

Blake didn't need to go on full tirades about what made her angry. Usually, finding a spot to cool down and let her emotions run their course was enough. Even when it was something in the middle of the school day that managed to strike a nerve. She could just hold off and let it go until she got back home...

_She's right? Why did I let Yang be right for once..._

"Hey, it helps to get it out," Yang explained. "Letting that shit boil up inside you won't do you any good. So, what are going to do to get over it?!" She stretched her arms outwards, challenging her friend for an answer. "Any ideas?" The blonde turned slightly as the next few words passed through her lips. Her right hand knocking into a vase on Blake's desk. "Because I think-"

The vase fell off the table and crashed into the floor. Yang fearfully jumped, raising her right leg to get it away from the stimulus. Her arms wrapped around her body, acting as a shield for her torso.

"Fuck, was that already broken?"

"I think it was..."

Blake reached over and knocked another glass off a shelf, allowing it to shatter. Yang immediately recognising what her friend had in mind, grinning darkly. Blake had her own smirk plastered on her face as she grabbed for another broken piece of furniture.

While Blake smashed the wooden chair leg through some more of the broken articles, Yang turned and sprinted straight at a wall. The already weakened paper and wood frame were made holier by a hundred and thirty pounds of blonde crashing into them—Yang shouting, "Oh, yeah," as she made it to the other side.

Just outside Blake's room was her mother, looking down at Yang with a puzzled expression. In her hands was a set of broken or cracked plates that she managed to salvage from the wreckage.

"Um, Yang, what are you doing," Kali asked amusedly.

"Just blowing off some steam, Kali," Yang cheerfully expressed, running a hand through her ponytail to get the dust out. "You know, most of this stuff is a lost cause, so why not make sure?!"

Kali's expression relaxed for a second before a smile crept along her lips. Without warning, she tossed the plates into the air, each landing behind her in a loud crash.

_[Arc Household]_

_"Jaune got into a fight," Ruby explained to the gathering of Arc women. "And Pyrrha got hurt..." _

_Each of Jaune's sisters and his mother were crowded down in the living room, watching a movie. Once they heard Jaune's name and fight in the same sentence, everyone turned simultaneously to stare at the trio. Just over a half dozen sets of eyes boring holes into them with expressions verging on sheer anger or murderous intent. Seeing the bruises on Pyrrha's arms made the entire room drop several degrees drastically. _

_"Okay," Azur, Blanche's twin sister, said in a terrifyingly calm voice. The short-haired bluenette got up off the couch with a smile on her face, cracking the knuckles in one hand loudly. "So, who's the poor bastard that did this? I just want to have a little chat with 'em..." _

_Her eyes trained solely on Jaune, waiting for an answer. However, before Jaune could give one in reply, he noticed something odd. There was an aura beginning to surround her. A whispy blue hue dancing about her skin. One that radiated anger and hostility. Her emotions out on display for Jaune to gawk at. _

_His gaze turned to the rest of his family. Their bodies emanating this same miasma. Saphron was orange. Marron was brown. Blanche was white. Rose was pink. Violette, purple. Rouge had a deep shade of red. Noire merely this black mass dissimilar to the Killer's. Finally, their mother was an illustrious gold. _

**[Present]**

_So, they're the same as Weiss... _

Whatever Weiss was, Jaune's sisters were related somehow. They each produced an aura similar to the energy she gave off. Only with Weiss, Jaune could not visibly perceive it like his own family.

While none were as readily powerful as the Ice Queen, they were not like any normal humans, or faunus Jaune had encountered just yet. However, that did not mean they were anywhere close to other vampires like Pasty, or the entities who accosted Jaune on the night of his awakening. They were woefully pitiful in comparison to any of his previous foes. Weiss, the weakest of them, made the Arcs appear as ants.

Yet, Jaune's family stood above all others. They were only another manner of beast cut from familiar cloth.

Then what did that make Jaune? If he was a tapestry weaved from this bolt, the boy was already powerful in his own right. His nature was that of the supernatural. Although, now heavily augmented by his current vampiric prowess.

It certainly did not come as a startling revelation to him. Akin to remembering a factoid one had previously forgotten.

_No, that isn't right. _

_Heh..._

_My sisters are the same species Weiss is. Not of the same house. The only way they differ is their line. They're all something locked behind barriers put in place, not of their own volition. The same goes for Weiss. She's holding back. _

The Killer was not restraining herself in the slightest on the night of Jaune and her's duel. Through a third party or of her own choosing did not matter. She forced Jaune on a path to break away from the obstacle chaining him to the ground. A feat making her worthy of sitting on the throne she presently occupied.

There was no indication Jaune's family were any residing on the other thrones, however. They had the potential to become stronger and exert their will as Jaune did, but their current level would not allow for anything beyond forcing their base nature to surface. All of them were far too weak. In fact, nobody Jaune knew could match those he discovered in that hall.

Glancing over to Pyrrha and Ruby gave him nothing. Not even a hint of the same magic Weiss had pouring off her. The smell of their lotion or shampoo filled the air, but that was all.

_Not them, either..._

Jaune didn't know if he felt dread over this mystery or was too excited to reign his emotions in. He couldn't wait to see what came next but stilled himself for the gratification to be so much sweeter. Unravelling this would genuinely become a delight.

"_God dangit_," Ruby shouted from behind him.

He cast his gaze back upon the girl sitting in front of his tv. Ruby was playing an adventure game set in Medieval Europe. One with knights, bandits, tournaments, and castles. The only downside to this diversion was the absurd combat mechanics that sucked the fun out of it in Jaune's opinion.

It seemed Ruby had the same conclusion, setting down her controller before she channelled her inner Yang and snapped it in two. A single breath escaped her lips before she turned to face her two companions sitting on the opposite side of the room. Her expression telling Jaune she meant to say something but did not have the idea entirely formulated.

In contrast, Pyrrha was peacefully working away on some leftover homework. Her mind was so preoccupied with it, she did not pay any attention to those angry Ruby noises. Jaune doubted she was aware of him sitting right next to her at his desk.

"Do you guys think the park will be open," Ruby finally asked. "It didn't get destroyed by the giant, but people are really scared about going out."

_She's right..._

_Between all the murders and the Killer running around, I don't think anybody would want to risk it. _

The same logic applied to situations with wolf packs. If a group of them were patrolling the countryside, the locals would want to keep their family and homes secured, waiting for the hunters to track them down. Though, these wolves were superhumans and vampires who could annihilate an entire city block with a single attack.

"Well, fewer people to stand behind for the funnel cake," Jaune jested.

Pyrrha sent him a dull look, clearly internally groaning. Jaune smiled and shrugged his shoulders in reply. Disregarding him, the redhead rolled her eyes while shaking her head.

"Yeah, the park's a few miles away from the mouth of the bay, so I doubt there's going to be any major issues," Pyrrha expressed, cupping her chin. "That's if something doesn't happen... A big 'if.' Because Vale has not had an outstanding record for the past couple weeks." Towards the end, the confidence in her tone was lost.

King's Park was on the more affluent side of town in the tourism district. Tucked away near some of Vale's most renowned beaches, it was a hotspot that attracted thousands every day during the summer months. However, its location put it safely several miles upstream from where Jaune and the Killer had their battle.

If anything were to go down, Jaune was sure most of the businesses would end up closing out of fear. The heart of Vale had quickly shut down since nobody was shopping, and utilities were down. With the shortage of emergency personnel, any fights between vampires or supermen were going to be much more disastrous.

"I really hope nothing happens," Ruby said meekly. "Yang and Blake already told me they were coming with... So, did Nora and Ren."

_And nothing will happen..._

Jaune could see her discomfort. The thought of walking into another bloodbath was on her mind. She could remember the position of every single body—the stench of blood on the air. Ruby so desperately wanted this night to go off properly, she was stressing herself out by overthinking it.

"Don't worry, Ruby," Jaune replied confidently. "They have a giant that shoots laser beams from its mouth, we have a Nora. So, we're evenly matched!"

"We might want to throw Yang in there for good measure," Pyrrha playfully added on.

Her continuation of the banter was met by Jaune's laughter. "That's cruel, Pyr," he chastised jokingly. "Nobody deserves that kind of punishment!"

"They started it," Pyrrha countered, leaning back into her chair. She waited for her friends to calm down for a moment before she continued. "Anyway, do either of you have any ideas for what we should do after we're done with the park? Or at least a backup plan if they do close?"

"Yang and I were thinking about board games," Ruby suggested curiously. "We have too many people to play most of the games, but we can split up and have two going at once."

"That sounds like fun," Jaune expressed excitedly. "But I have an even better idea. It's a surprise I'm working on right now, so I'll show you guys on Friday!"

Jaune glanced down at his notebook. Several pages were completely filled with notes on the activity he had planned for them. Even if they were unable to go out to the park, there was always this campaign to turn to. With all of their friends joining their table, it would more than likely lead to some interesting developments.

"Ah, come on," Ruby whined, getting off his bed. "Please tell us!"

**[Pyrrha] **

Pyrrha slipped out as Ruby began interrogating Jaune for details. She needed a second to stretch her legs and grab a drink. Sitting down for nearly four hours straight made her butt too sore to bear for any longer. That and Jaune's presence was almost overbearing.

Sitting next to him was like taking a test and having the teacher standing just behind you while looking over your shoulder. Hell, you could turn the lights off and still feel where he was sitting. Even the passage of his eyes over Pyrrha sent a chill down her spine. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not!

But Pyrrha was sure it was all in her head. Whatever teenage hormones she had coursing through her veins were making her feel this way. Anybody else would be the same in her position. Like Yang said, Jaune was really hot. The sun in the middle of July hot would not even come close. So, having Jaune around made her feel anxious.

Although, Jaune managed to catch Pyrrha off-guard after his fight with Cardin. His genuine concern over what was a minor injury paired with how he deeply he locked eyes with her was so embarrassing. Not in a cringeworthy way either. Like a first kiss.

Which, didn't help Pyrrha since Jaune was her first kiss.

All of this in tandem made her circumstances that much more unbearable. Pyrrha had a blush putting her own hair to shame right now, and she was trying her damndest to make it go away. The heat her body gave off was mitigated only by her t-shirt and yoga pants. Had she been wearing her school uniform, the girl may have wanted to step inside a freezer for a few hours and cool off.

_Don't think about it, Pyrrha... You're just getting used to the new Jaune. _

Thinking about Jaune now and the Jaune from a few days ago was a difficult task in of itself. So, putting the unfathomably handsome guy and her oldest friend together didn't go off without a hitch. They were unquestionably the same person, but the one-hundred and eighty-degree flip made it harder to rationalise. It hit her like a freight train when Ruby pointed it out.

_Should be happy for him. He's turned over a new leaf and seems to be enjoying himself now. That's the important part. _

Coming down the stairs and into the main living room, Pyrrha was met by one of Jaune's little sisters. Rouge showed the older girl a drawing she had made of a giraffe. One that actually done quite well for someone her age. While not hyperrealistic, it could be shown off in any elementary-school competition to win her top marks.

"It's beautiful, Rouge," Pyrrha complimented with a smile.

Her words were met with the flustered expression of the young girl. Pyrrha's appraisal for Rouge's work clearly meant a lot. Just showing it off to her was a giant leap for the Arc. Whether it be due to Pyrrha's celebrity status or her pseudo-adoption by the rest of her family was not as well defined.

"_T-Thanks_, Pyrrha," Rouge stuttered. Her blush darkened, turning blood red by this point.

"Keep working on it, okay," Pyrrha encouraged, still holding her bright and cheery demeanour. "I want to see what you draw next!"

Rouge shook her head and then ran off back to where the rest of her drawing materials were. Pyrrha snickered as the last image of the girl disappeared behind the nearest corner. She couldn't help but find Jaune's little sisters to be so cute.

_Okay... Back to the kitchen. _

She turned and headed across the living room, taking a quick look at the many picture frames hung on the walls. Most were family photos or pictures of individual kids. Some of them were paintings purchased by their mother or works done by the Arcs. Claire was quite the artist on top of her career as a doctor, so it made sense. Though, Rouge was the only one that shared her talent and love for the craft.

Arriving at the kitchen, Azur, Blanche, and Marron were crowded around the central island. Whatever they were talking about lacked the context for Pyrrha to understand, so she ignored them. The redhead, instead, quickly found her way into the fridge and began rummaging through it for something to drink.

She settled on a can of vegetable juice, popping it open and taking a sip. The taste of tomato, kale, celery, and beets washed over her lips and refreshed her dry throat. While somewhat bitter, Pyrrha didn't mind that. She was able to handle Ren's health drinks with no problems despite Nora's objections.

Closing the fridge and turning around, Pyrrha was confronted with the blank stares of Jaune's sisters. They had leaned against the farthest countertop away from her and adopted whatever pose was comfortable for them. Blanche had both of her hands planted on top of the granite. Azur had her arms crossed, and finally, Marron was resting her chin on top of her hand.

_That's not creepy at all..._

"Pyrrha," Marron began in a stiff tone. "Do you know what the hell is going on with Jaune?!"

_Oh boy, they don't know either... _

Luckily for them, Pyrrha was completely in the dark on this as well.

"Yeah, yesterday morning, asshole walks back in the house soaking wet when we tried calling him eight-hundred times, and he never answered," Azur, the most ill-tempered of the Arcs, explained angrily. "I kicked his ass because he scared the shit out of us... Then he went to bed! Two hours later, we see this adonis walking downstairs right past us, and he left without saying a word!"

_So, his appearance changed that quickly? _

Now Pyrrha wasn't under the delusion Jaune could comb his hair a different way and become said adonis. In fact, her friends were of the same school of thought on this. However, while they did want to know the exact reason why Jaune's appearance altered so drastically, nobody wanted to press for answers. To either keep from upsetting him or just didn't dare to do so. He was less approachable than Yang, after all.

"Ummm, I'm sorry," Pyrrha replied nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "I really don't know... It was a huge surprise for all of us at school too."

Blanche turned to her sisters and let out a prolonged sigh. The other members of the trio seemed to agree on this mood. Azur ran a hand through her hair, and Marron kneaded her brow.

"See," Blanche criticised, rubbing in the fact she was right. "I told you they don't know! Why the fuck would Jaune tell them and not us?!" She let out an angered grunt before pushing her way past Marron.

Azur gave Pyrrha a look of feign amusement. "As you can see, everything is just peachy over here," she expressed sarcastically.

_[Weiss]_

_Weiss awoke to the feeling of cold marble on her skin. She sat up to investigate her surroundings but found her location to be unfamiliar. This place was wholly foreign to any manor she had ever been inside of. Its golden architecture and construction beyond the level of any known master. _

_'Where am I?' _

_She rose to her feet, planting them on the frigid stone. Weiss only wearing her nightgown, which did little to protect her from the cold. She had to wrap her arms around her body just to keep warm. Every breath was interrupted by the chattering of her teeth. _

_Examining the walls, Weiss shuddered at the sight of the millions of skeletons which lined them. Though her mind picked up on the mixture of gothic and roman influences which coalesced into this manor. It resembled more of a cathedral than an estate such as her own with all of the rib vaults and pointed arches. A mix between Gloucester and Chartres Cathedral with St Peter's Basilica almost. _

_Whichever way Weiss turned, she could not see an end to this hall she resided in. It went as far as the eye could see and then some. Miles upon miles of endless chambers with doors leading to other rooms or walls decorated with all manner of carvings. _

_'What the hell is this?' _

_She turned to face the endless series of windows opposite the walls. The clear panes of glass did not give away any hint of her location. All Weiss could see was a gloomy night paired with clouds obscuring her view. _

_"Dies iræ, dies illa, Solvet sæclum in favilla, Teste David cum Sibylla."_

_'Huh?' _

_Weiss headed towards the music filling the halls. She could only hear the muffled words sung alongside Mozart's famous requiem. As she neared the origin of the chant, Weiss was blocked by a massive set of double doors. She pushed on them with all of her strength, and they would not yield. Weiss then chose to knock on the door to see if the inhabitants would hear her. _

_*THUD*THUD*THUD* _

_With that, the doors slowly crept open. They squealed loudly as each parted to allow the girl inside. As soon as there was enough room to fit, Weiss slipped in between. _

_"Oh, my god," Weiss exclaimed in a whisper upon catching the first glimpse of this room. _

_Before her was the nave of this cathedral. It could have been thousands of feet long. Hundreds of rows of pews sat in between her and the altar where the music was coming from. Millions of people could reside in this room alone. Everything here was made from the same golden marble that constituted every square inch of this castle. _

_The centrepiece, just behind the altar, was an organ of impossible size. It contained thousands of pipes hundreds of feet long. The entire thing was several hundred feet wide. All of it decorated with skeletons; the most massive planting its arms on either side of the room. The size of that single carving was greater than that of the giant who appeared in Vale's bay. _

_However, despite the grand size of this organ, it still played with such exquisite quality. Every note was perfect; not a single a flaw in pitch or how it resonated in the walls. The lowest notes were felt deep in Weiss' chest, and the highest made her hair stand on end. It was undoubtedly a masterwork beyond compare. _

_Weiss squinted her eyes and was able to see the person playing the organ. He was performing with every fibre in his body. All of his emotions were out on display as he delicately weaved the notes into the most splendid rendition of Dies Irae ever known. The choir was out of sight, but they followed along masterfully with him. _

_"Hello," Weiss called out. _

_Suddenly, he stopped, placing both of his hands gently on the keys, allowing the notes to slowly fade. Without taking his hands off, he turned slightly to gaze upon the person who interrupted his performance. At that moment, Weiss realised who he was. _

_She could see Jaune staring right back at her. His lips were curled into a predatory smile, sending chills down her spine. When their eyes locked, Weiss felt sheer terror well up inside her._

_"Hey, Snow Angel..."_

* * *

**I'm gonna say this chapter was more about the characters having fun. I didn't have any huge goals or objectives going on. Just showing the relationships and some minor world building along with Jaune's discoveries. Given that, I felt like having multiple character perspectives doing whatever and not associated around Jaune like last chapter. **

**Although, Jaune's family also has aura like Weiss. If you think about it, why did Raven attack Jaune in the first chapter? Aside from the fact he's the main protagonist. (Not exactly the good guy of the story. Just our lead character.) **

**But, the castle/cathedral Weiss ended up in is inspired by those three locations named in Weiss' perspective. I liked the idea of gothic architecture mixed in with St Peter's Basilica. **

* * *

**Encyclopedia of MAJMLYAI.**

**Vampires:**

**Jaune**

**Aliases: Leonhardt, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**Familiars: Crocea Mors, Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown, ****Element Unknown**

**People Consumed: 31**

**Major Arcana: The Emperor**

**Pasty**

**Aliases: Element Unknown**

**Methuselah**

**(He ded.)**

**Friends/Allies:**

**Ruby**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Yang**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Pyrrha**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**

**Weiss**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown, Element Unknown**

**Blake**

**Aliases: ****Element Unknown**


End file.
